Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

BARRON’S

HOW TO PREPARE FOR THE

SAT I

3,500 Basic Word List

Word List 1 abase-adroit

abase V. / 降低，羞辱 /lower; humiliate. Defeated, Queen Zenobia was forced to abase herself before the

conquering Romans, who made her march in chains before the emperor in the procession

celebrating his triumph. abasement, N.

abash V. /使难堪/embarrass. He was not at all abashed by her open admiration.

abate V. /减弱，减少/subside; decrease, lessen. Rather than leaving immediately, they waited for the storm to

abate. abatement, N.

abbreviate V. / 减短，缩写 /shorten. Because we were running out of time, the lecturer had to abbreviate her

speech.

abdicate V. / 放弃/renounce; give up. When Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry the woman he

loved, he surprised the entire world.

abduction N. /绑架/kidnapping. The movie Ransom describes the attempts to rescue a multimillionaire's son after

the child's abduction by kidnappers. abduct,V.

aberrant N. /不正常的/abnormal or deviant. Given the aberrant nature of the data, we doubted the validity of the

entire experiment. also N.

abet V. /帮助，鼓励/aid, usually in doing something wrong; encourage. She was unwilling to abet him in the

swindle he had planned.

abeyance N. /悬而未决/suspended action. The deal was held in abeyance until her arrival.

abhor V. /憎恨/detest; hate. She abhorred all forms of bigotry. abhorrence, N.

abject ADJ. /穷困潦倒，卑微 /wretched; lacking pride. On the streets of New York the homeless live in abject

poverty, huddling in doorways to find shelter from the wind.

abjure V. /发誓放弃/renounce upon oath. He abjured his allegiance to the king. abjuration, N.

ablution N. / 洗 /washing. His daily ablutions were accompanied by loud noises that he humorously labeled

"Opera in the Bath."

abnegation N. / 批判，自我牺牲 /repudiation; self-sacrifice. No act of abnegation was more pronounced than his

refusal of any rewards for his discovery.

abolish V. /废除/cancel; put an end to. The president of the college refused to abolish the physical education

requirement. abolition, N.

abominable ADJ. /可恶的，非常糟糕/detestable; extremely unpleasant; very bad. Mary liked John until she learned he

was dating Susan; then she called him an abominable young man, with abominable taste in women.

aboriginal ADJ., N. /原来的，土著的/being the first of its kind in a region; primitive; native. Her studies of the primitive

art forms of the aboriginal Indians were widely reported in the scientific journals. aborigines, N.

abortive ADJ. / 不成功的，失 /unsuccessful; fruitless. Attacked by armed troops, the Chinese students had to

abandon their abortive attempt to democratize Beijing peacefully. abort,V.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

abrade V. /磨损，侵蚀/wear away by friction; scrape; erode. The sharp rocks abraded the skin on her legs, so

she put iodine on her abrasions.

abrasive ADJ. /摩擦的，粗糙的，研磨剂 /rubbing away; tending to grind down. Just as abrasive cleaning powders

can wear away a shiny finish, abrasive remarks can wear away a listener's patience. abrade,V.

abridge V. /删节，节选/condense or shorten. Because the publishers felt the public wanted a shorter version of

War and Peace, they proceeded to abridge the novel.

abrogate ADJ. /废除/abolish. He intended to abrogate the decree issued by his predecessor.

abscond V. / 隐匿，逃避，躲债 /depart secretly and hide. The teller who absconded with the bonds went

uncaptured until someone recognized him from his photograph on "America's Most Wanted."

absolute ADJ. /完全的，肯定的/complete; totally unlimited; certain. Although the King of Siam was an absolute

monarch, he did not want to behead his unfaithful wife without absolute evidence of her infidelity.

absolve V. /谅解/pardon (an offense). The father confessor absolved him of his sins. absolution, N.

absorb V. / 吸收，合并 /assimilate or incorporate; suck or drink up; wholly engage. During the nineteenth

century, America absorbed hordes of immigrants, turning them into productive citizens. Can Huggies

diapers absorb more liquid than Pampers can? This question does not absorb me; instead, it bores

me. absorption, N.

abstain V. /控制，限制（自己）/refrain; hold oneself back voluntarily from an action or practice. After considering

the effect of alcohol on his athletic performance, he decided to abstain from drinking while he trained

for the race. abstinence, N.

abstemious ADJ. /节制（饮食），调节/sparing in eating and drinking; temperate. Concerned whether her vegetarian

son's abstemious diet provided him with sufficient protein, the worried mother pressed food on him.

abstinence N. / 节制（饮食） /restraint from eating or drinking. The doctor recommended total abstinence from

salted foods. abstain,V.

abstract ADJ. /抽象的/theoretical; not concrete; nonrepresentational. To him, hunger was an abstract concept; he

had never missed a meal.

abstruse ADJ. /难以理解的，复杂的/obscure; profound; difficult to understand. She carries around abstruse works

of philosophy, not because she understands them but because she wants her friends to think she

does.

abundant ADJ. / 丰富，富足 /plentiful; possessing riches or resources. At his immigration interview, Ivan listed his

abundant reasons for coming to America: the hope of religious freedom, the prospect of employment,

the promise of a more abundant life.

abusive ADJ. /粗俗的侮辱，对身体有害的 /coarsely insulting; physically harmful. An abusive parent damages a child

both mentally and physically.

abut V. /毗邻/border upon; adjoin. Where our estates abut, we must build a fence.

abysmal ADJ. /无底的/bottomless. His arrogance is exceeded only by his abysmal ignorance.

abyss N. / 深渊，深坑，无底洞/enormous chasm; vast bottomless pit. Darth Vader seized the evil emperor and

hurled him down into the abyss,

academic ADJ. / 学术的 /related to a school; not practical or directly useful. The dean's talk about reforming the

college admissions system was only an academic discussion: we knew little, if anything, would change.

accede V. / 同意 /agree. If I accede to this demand for blackmail, I am afraid that I will be the victim of future

demands.

accelerate V. /加速/move faster. In our science class, we learn how falling bodies accelerate.

accentuate V. /强调，重音/emphasize; stress. If you accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative, you may wind

up with an overoptimistic view of the world.

accessible ADJ. /可得到的/easy to approach; obtainable. We asked our guide whether the ruins were accessible on

foot.

accessory N. / 附件 /additional object; useful but not essential thing. She bought an attractive handbag as an

accessory for her dress. alsoADJ.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

acclaim V. /赞扬，表扬/applaud; announce with great approval. The NBC sportscasters acclaimed every American

victory in the Olympics and decried every American defeat. also N.

acclimate V. /适应/adjust to climate. One of the difficulties of our present air age is the need of travelers to acclimate

themselves to their new and often strange environments.

acclivity N. /上山的陡坡/sharp upslope of a hill. The car would not go up the acclivity in high gear.

accolade N. /出名的大奖/award of merit. In Hollywood, an "Oscar" is the highest accolade.

accommodate V. /招待，食宿，适应/oblige or help someone; adjust or bring into harmony; adapt. Mitch always

did everything possible to accommodate his elderly relatives, from driving them to medical appointments

to helping them with paperwork. (secondary meaning)

accomplice N. / 共犯，同伙 /partner in crime. Because he had provided the criminal with the lethal weapon, he was

arrested as an accomplice in the murder.

accord N. /一致/agreement. She was in complete accord with the verdict.

accost V. / 搭讪，邂逅 /approach and speak first to a person. When the two young men accosted me, I was

frightened because I thought they were going to attack me.

accoutre V. /装备/equip. The fisherman was accoutred with the best that the sporting goods store could supply.

accoutrements, N.

accretion N. /增长/growth; increase. The accretion of wealth marked the family's rise in power.

accrue V. /附的/come about by addition. You must pay the interest that has accrued on your debt as well as the

principal sum. accrual, N.

acerbity N. /尖酸的（语气，脾气） /bitterness of speech and temper. The meeting of the United Nations General

Assembly was marked with such acerbity that informed sources held out little hope of reaching any

useful settlement of the problem. acerbic,ADJ.

acetic ADJ. /酸的/vinegary. The salad had an exceedingly acetic flavor.

acidulous ADJ. /酸的；尖锐，刻薄 /slightly sour; sharp, caustic. James was unpopular because of his sarcastic and

acidulous remarks.

acknowledge V. /认可，承认 /recognize; admit. Although I acknowledge that the Beatles' tunes sound pretty

dated today, I still prefer them to the "gangsta rap" songs my brothers play.

acme N. /顶点/top; pinnacle. His success in this role marked the acme of his career as an actor.

acoustics N. /声学的/science of sound; quality that makes a room easy or hard to hear in. Carnegie Hall is liked by

music lovers because of its fine acoustics.

acquiesce V. / 默许 /assent; agree without protesting. Although she appeared to acquiesce to her employer's

suggestions, I could tell she had reservations about the changes he wanted made. acquiescence,

N.; acquiescent,ADJ.

acquire V. / 获取/obtain; get. Frederick Douglass was determined to acquire an education despite his master's

efforts to prevent his doing so.

acquittal N. / 无罪开释 /deliverance from a charge. His acquittal by the jury surprised those who had thought him

guilty. acquit,V.

acrid ADJ. /尖锐；尖酸/sharp; bitterly pungent. The acrid odor of burnt gunpowder filled the room after the pistol

had been fired.

acrimonious ADJ. / 挖苦的，尖酸的（语言，行为） /bitter in words or manner. The candidate attacked his

opponent in highly acrimonious terms. acrimony,

acrophobia N. /恐高症/fear of heights. A born salesman, he could convince someone with a bad case of acrophobia

to sign up for a life membership in a sky-diving club.

actuarial ADJ. /保险精算的，精算 /calculating; pertaining to insurance statistics. According to recent actuarial tables,

life expectancy is greater today than it was a century ago.

actuate V. /推动，促使/motivate. I fail to understand what actuated you to reply to this letter so nastily.

acuity N. /尖锐/sharpness. In time his youthful acuity of vision failed him, and he needed glasses.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

acumen N. /思想敏锐/mental keenness. His business acumen helped him to succeed where others had failed.

acute ADJ. / 精明，敏锐，聪明 /quickly perceptive; keen; brief and severe. The acute young doctor realized

immediately that the gradual deterioration of her patient's once acute hearing was due to a chronic

illness, not an acute one.

adage N. /格言，谚语/wise saying; proverb. There is much truth in the old adage about fools and their money.

adamant ADJ. /坚硬，不动摇 /hard; inflexible. Bronson played the part of a revenge-driven man, adamant in his

determination to punish the criminals who destroyed his family. adamancy, N.

adapt V. /改变/alter; modify. Some species of animals have become extinct because they could not adapt to

a changing environment.

addendum N. /附加，充/an addition or supplement. As an addendum to the minutes, let me point out that Susan

moved to appoint Kathy and Arthur to the finance committee.

addiction N. /瘾，依赖/compulsive, habitual need. His addiction to drugs caused his friends much grief.

addle V. / 使变疯，腐坏 /muddle; drive crazy; become rotten. This idiotic plan is confusing enough to addle

anyone. addled,ADJ.

address V. /发表（演讲），处理，讨论 /direct a speech to; deal with or discuss. Due to address the convention in

July, Brown planned to address the issue of low-income housing in his speech.

adept ADJ. /擅长于/expert at. She was adept at the fine art of irritating people. also N.

adhere V. /黏着/stick fast. I will adhere to this opinion until proof that I am wrong is presented. adhesion, N.

adherent N. / 支持者，追随者 /supporter; follower. In the wake of the scandal, the senator's one-time adherents

quickly deserted him.

adjacent ADJ. /邻近的，毗邻的 /adjoining; neighboring; close by. Philip's best friend Jason lived only four houses

down the block, close but not immediately adjacent.

adjunct N. /无用的附加物/something added on or attached (generally nonessential or inferior). Although I don't

absolutely need a second computer, I plan to buy a laptop to serve as an adjunct to my desktop

model.

admonish V. /警告，训斥/warn; reprove. He admonished his listeners to change their wicked ways. admonition, N.

admonition N. /警告 /warning. After the student protesters repeatedly rejected Chairman Deng's admonitions, the

government issued an ultimatum: either the students would end the demonstration at once or the

soldiers would fire on the crowd.

adorn V. /装饰/decorate. Wall paintings and carved statues adorned the temple. adornment, N.

adroit ADJ. /熟练，有技巧/skillful. His adroit handling of the delicate situation pleased his employers.

Word List 2 adulation-amend

adulation N. /奉承，恭维/flattery; admiration. The rock star thrived on the adulation of his groupies and yes men.

adulate,V.

adulterate V. /掺杂/make impure by adding inferior or tainted substances. It is a crime to adulterate foods without

informing the buyer; when consumers learned that Beech-Nut had adulterated their apple juice by

mixing it with water, they protested vigorously.

advent N. /到来，出现/arrival. Most Americans were unaware of the advent of the Nuclear Age until the news

of Hiroshima reached them.

adventitiousADJ. /偶然/accidental; casual. He found this adventitious meeting with his friend extremely fortunate.

adversary N. /对手/opponent. The young wrestler struggled to defeat his adversary.

adverse ADJ. /讨厌，敌意/unfavorable; hostile. The recession had a highly adverse effect on Father's investment

portfolio: he lost so much money that he could no longer afford the butler and the upstairs maid.

adversity, N.

adversity N. /贫困，不幸/poverty; misfortune. We must learn to meet adversity gracefully.

advocacy N. / 支持， /support; active pleading on something's behalf. No threats could dissuade Bishop

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

Desmond Tutu from his advocacy of the human rights of black South Africans.

advocate V. / /urge; plead for. The abolitionists advocated freedom for the slaves. also N.

aerie N. / 猛禽的窝 /nest of a large bird of prey (eagle, hawk). The mother eagle swooped down on the

unwitting rabbit and bore it off to her aerie high in the Rocky Mountains.

aesthetic ADJ. / 审美的 /artistic; dealing with or capable of appreciation of the beautiful. The beauty of Tiffany's

stained glass appealed to Esther's aesthetic sense. aesthete, N.

affable ADJ. /平易近人的/easily approachable; warmly friendly. Accustomed to cold, aloof supervisors, Nicholas

was amazed at how affable his new employer was.

affected ADJ. / 假的，做作的 /artificial; pretended; assumed in order to impress. His affected mannerisms-his

"Harvard" accent, his air of boredom, his use of obscure foreign wordsbugged us: he acted as if he

thought he was too good for his old high school friends. affectation, N.

affidavit N. / 宣誓书/written statement made under oath. The court refused to accept his statement unless he

presented it in the form of an affidavit.

affiliation N. /联合，加入/joining; associating with. His affiliation with the political party was of short duration for he

soon disagreed with his colleagues.

affinity N. /亲缘关系/kinship. She felt an affinity with all who suffered; their pains were her pains.

affirmation N. /正面肯定，确认/positive assertion; confirmation; solemn pledge by one who refuses to take an oath.

Despite Tom's affirmations of innocence, Aunt Polly still suspected he had eaten the pie.

affix V. /增加，附于/fasten; attach; add on. First the registrar had to affix her signature to the license; then she

had to affix her official seal.

affliction N. /痛苦/state of distress; cause of suffering. Even in the midst of her affliction, Elizabeth tried to keep up

the spirits of those around her.

affluence N. /富足，财富/abundance; wealth. Foreigners are amazed by the affluence and luxury of the American

way of life.

affront N. /侮辱，冒犯；蓄意蔑视/insult; offense; intentional act of disrespect. When Mrs. Proudie was not seated

beside the Archdeacon at the head table, she took it as a personal affront and refused to speak to her

hosts for a week. alsoV.

aftermath N. /后果，结果/consequences; outcome; upshot. People around the world wondered what the aftermath

of China's violent suppression of the student protests would be.

agenda N. /议程/items of business at a meeting. We had so much difficulty agreeing upon an agenda that there

was very little time for the meeting.

agent N. /方法，工具；代表/means or instrument; personal representative; person acting in an official capacity. °I

will be the agent of America's destruction," proclaimed the beady-eyed villain, whose agent had gotten

him the role. With his face, he could never have played the part of the hero, a heroic F.B.I. agent.

agglomeration N. / 聚集，累积 /collection; heap. It took weeks to assort the agglomeration of miscellaneous

items she had collected on her trip.

aggrandize V. /增加，加强/increase or intensify. The history of the past quarter century illustrates how a President may

aggrandize his power to act aggressively in international affairs without considering the wishes of

Congress.

aggregate V. / 收集，聚集 /gather; accumulate. Before the Wall Street scandals, dealers in so-called junk bonds

managed to aggregate great wealth in short periods of time. aggregation, N.

aggressor N. /攻击者/attacker. Before you punish both boys for fighting, see whether you can determine which one

was the aggressor.

aghast ADJ. /吓坏了的/horrified. He was aghast at the nerve of the speaker who had insulted his host.

agility N. /敏捷/nimbleness. The agility of the acrobat amazed and thrilled the audience.

agitate V. /激怒，打扰/stir up; disturb. Her fiery remarks agitated the already angry mob.

agnostic N. /无神者论 /one who is skeptical of the existence or knowability of a god or any ultimate reality. Agnostics

say we can neither prove nor disprove the existence of god; we simply just can't know. alsoADJ.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

agrarian ADJ. / 耕地的，耕种的 /pertaining to land or its cultivation. The country is gradually losing its agrarian

occupation and turning more and more to an industrial point of view.

alacrity N. /欢快的情绪/cheerful promptness. Phil and Dave were raring to get off to the mountains; they packed

up their ski gear and climbed into the van with alacrity.

alchemy N. /炼金术士/medieval chemistry. The changing of baser metals into gold was the goal of the students of

alchemy. alchemist, N.

alcove N. / 小隔间，壁橱 /nook; small, recessed section of a room. Though their apartment lacked a full-scale

dining room, an alcove adjacent to the living room made an adequate breakfast nook for the young

couple.

alias N. /别名/an assumed name. John Smith's alias was Bob Jones. also ADV.

alienate V. /孤立，树敌/make hostile; separate. Her attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had

complete faith in each other.

alimentary ADJ. /营养的/supplying nourishment. The alimentary canal in our bodies is so named because digestion of

foods occurs there. When asked for the name of the digestive tract, Sherlock Holmes replied,

"Alimentary, my dear Watson."

alimony N. / （离婚后的）生活，抚养费费 /payment by a husband to his divorced wife (or vice versa). Mrs. Jones

was awarded $200 monthly alimony by the court when she was divorced from her husband.

allay V. / 平静下来，（使）冷静下来 /calm; pacify. The crew tried to allay the fears of the passengers by

announcing that the fire had been controlled.

allege V. / 断言/state without proof. Although it is alleged that she has worked for the enemy, she denies the

allegation and, legally, we can take no action against her without proof. allegation, N.

allegiance N. /忠诚/loyalty. Not even a term in prison could shake Lech Walesa's allegiance to Solidarity, the Polish

trade union he had helped to found.

allegory N. / 寓言 /story in which characters are used as symbols; fable. Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory of the

temptations and victories of man's soul. allegorical,ADJ.

alleviate V. /解脱，释放，释然 /relieve. This should alleviate the pain; if it does not, we shall have to use stronger

drugs.

alliteration N. /头韵/repetition of beginning sound in poetry. "The furrow followed free" is an example of alliteration.

allocate V. /分配，制定/assign. Even though the Red Cross had allocated a large sum for the relief of the sufferers

of the disaster, many people perished.

alloy N. /合金/a mixture as of metals. Alloys of gold are used more frequently than the pure metal.

alloy V. /混合，中和/mix; make less pure; lessen or moderate. Our delight at the Yankees' victory was al lo yed

by our concern for Dwight Gooden, who injured his pitching arm in the game.

allude V. / 暗指 /refer indirectly. Try not to mention divorce in Jack's presence because he will think you are

alluding to his marital problems with Jill.

allure V. /诱惑，引诱/entice; attract. Allured by the song of the sirens, the helmsman steered the ship toward the

reef. also N.

allusion N. /暗指，暗示/indirect reference. When Amanda said to the ticket scalper, "One hundred bucks? What do

you want, a pound of flesh?," she was making an allusion to Shakespeare's M erc ha nt of Ve ni ce .

aloft ADV. /向上/upward. The sailor climbed aloft into the rigging. To get into a loft bed, you have to climb

aloft.

aloof ADJ. /分离，保留/apart; reserved. Shy by nature, she remained aloof while all the rest conversed.

altercation N. /大声争吵，激烈争论 /noisy quarrel; heated dispute. In that hottempered household, no meal ever

came to a peaceful conclusion; the inevitable altercation might even end in blows.

altruistic ADJ. /无私的，关心他人的/unselfishly generous; concerned for others. In providing tutorial assistance and

college scholarships for hundreds of economically disadvantaged youths, Eugene Lang performed a

truly altruistic deed. altruism, N.

amalgamate V. /结合，整合/combine; unite in one body. The unions will attempt to amalgamate their groups into one

national body.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

amass V. /收集/collect. The miser's aim is to amass and hoard as much gold as possible.

ambidextrous ADJ. / 双手都灵巧 /capable of using either hand with equal ease. A switch-hitter in baseball

should be naturally ambidextrous.

ambience N. /环境/environment; atmosphere. She went to the restaurant not for the food but for the ambience.

ambiguous ADJ. /模棱两可/unclear or doubtful in meaning. His ambiguous instructions misled us; we did not know

which road to take. ambiguity, N.

ambivalence N. /矛盾的观点或情绪 /the state of having contradictory or conflicting emotional attitudes. Torn

between loving her parents one minute and hating them the next, she was confused by the

ambivalence of her feelings. ambivalent,ADJ.

amble N. /漫步，缓行/moving at an easy pace. When she first mounted the horse, she was afraid to urge the

animal to go faster than a gentle amble. alsoV.

ambulatory ADJ. /可移动的，不固定 /able to walk; not bedridden. Juan was a highly ambulatory patient; not only did

he refuse to be confined to bed, but he insisted on riding his skateboard up and down the halls.

ameliorate V. /提高/improve. Many social workers have attempted to ameliorate the conditions of people living in

the slums.

amenable ADJ. /有服从义务的，随时服从的/readily managed; willing to be led. He was amenable to any suggestions

that came from those he looked up to; he resented advice from his inferiors.

amend V. /修订，修改，变更 /correct; change, generally for the better. Hoping to amend his condition, he left

Vietnam for the United States.

Word List 3 amenities-apostate

amenities N. /令人愉快的，礼貌的/convenient features; courtesies. In addition to the customary amenities for the

business traveler-fax machines, modems, a health club-the hotel offers the services of a butler

versed in the social amenities.

amiable ADJ. /可爱的，友好的，惬意的/agreeable; lovable; warmly friendly. In Little Women, Beth is the amiable

daughter whose loving disposition endears her to all who know her.

amicable ADJ. /温和的，友好礼貌的/politely friendly; not quarrelsome. Beth's sister Jo is the hot-tempered tomboy

who has a hard time maintaining amicable relations with those around her. Jo's quarrel with her friend

Laurie finally reaches an amicable settlement, but not because Jo turns amiable overnight.

amiss ADJ. /错误/wrong; faulty. Seeing her frown, he wondered if anything were amiss. also ADV.

amity N. /友谊 /friendship. Student exchange programs such as the Experiment in International Living were

established to promote international amity.

amnesia N. /失，健忘/loss of memory. Because she was suffering from amnesia, the police could not get the

young girl to identify herself.

amnesty N. /原谅/pardon. When his first child was born, the king granted amnesty to all in prison.

amoral ADJ. /不道德的/nonmoral. The amoral individual lacks a code of ethics; he cannot tell right from wrong.

The immoral person can tell right from wrong; he chooses to do something he knows is wrong.

amorous ADJ. /爱情的/moved by sexual love; loving. "Love them and leave them" was the motto of the amorous

Don Juan.

amorphous ADJ. / 无形的，不成形的 /formless; lacking shape or definition. As soon as we have decided on our

itinerary, we shall send you a copy; right now, our plans are still amorphous.

amphibian ADJ. /两栖的/able to live both on land and in water. Frogs are classified as amphibian. also N.

amphitheater N. /椭圆形的剧院，斗兽场/oval building with tiers of seats. The spectators in the amphitheater

cheered the gladiators.

ample ADJ. /丰富的，富足的/abundant. Bond had ample opportunity to escape. Why did he let us catch him?

amplify V. /放大/broaden or clarify by expanding; intensify; make stronger. Charlie Brown tried to amplify his

remarks, but he was drowned out by jeers from the audience. Lucy was smarter: she used a

loudspeaker to amplify her voice.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

amputate V. /截肢，切除/cut off part of body; prune. When the doctors had to amputate the young man's leg to

prevent the spread of cancer, he did not let the loss of a limb keep him from participating in sports.

amulet N. / 身符护 /charm; talisman. Around her neck she wore the amulet that the witch doctor had given her.

anachronistic ADJ. / 时代错误 /having an error involving time in a story. The reference to clocks in Julius

Caesar is anachronistic: clocks did not exist in Caesar's time. anachronism, N.

analgesic ADJ. /止痛的 /causing insensitivity to pain. The analgesic qualities of this lotion will provide temporary

relief.

analogous ADJ. /类似的 /comparable. She called our attention to the things that had been done in an analogous

situation and recommended that we do the same.

analogy N. /类比，相似/similarity; parallelism. A well-known analogy compares the body's immune system with an

army whose defending troops are the lymphocytes or white blood cells.

anarchist N. / 无政府主者义 /person who seeks to overturn the established government; advocate of abolishing

authority. Denying she was an anarchist, Katya maintained she wished only to make changes in our

government, not to destroy it entirely. anarchy, N.

anarchy N. /无政府主义/absence of governing body; state of disorder. The assassination of the leaders led to a

period of anarchy.

anathema N. / 诅咒 /solemn curse; someone or something regarded as a curse. The Ayatolla Khomeini heaped

anathema upon "the Great Satan," that is, the United States. To the Ayatolla, America and the West

were anathema; he loathed the democratic nations, cursing them in his dying words. anathematize,V.

ancestry N. /祖先/family descent. David can trace his ancestry as far back as the seventeenth century, when one

of his ancestors was a court trumpeter somewhere in Germany. ancestral,ADJ.

anchor V. /固定；锚/secure or fasten firmly; be fixed in place. We set the post in concrete to anchor it in place.

anchorage, N.

ancillary ADJ. /辅助的/serving as an aid or accessory; auxiliary. In an ancillary capacity, Doctor Watson was helpful;

however, Holmes could not trust the good doctor to solve a perplexing case on his own. also N.

anecdote N. /奇闻轶事/short account of an amusing or interesting event. Rather than make concrete proposals for

welfare reform, President Reagan told anecdotes about poor people who became wealthy despite their

impoverished backgrounds.

anemia N. / 贫血 /condition in which blood lacks red corpuscles. The doctor ascribes her tiredness to anemia.

anemic,ADJ.

anesthetic N. / 麻醉药 /substance that removes sensation with or without loss of consciousness. His monotonous

voice acted like an anesthetic; his audience was soon asleep. anesthesia, N.

anguish N. /极度痛苦/acute pain; extreme suffering. Visiting the site of the explosion, the governor wept to see the

anguish of the victims and their families.

angular ADJ. /有尖角的，瘦骨嶙峋的 /sharp-cornered; stiff in manner. Mr. Spock's features, though angular, were

curiously attractive, in a Vulcan way.

animated ADJ. / 活的，有生气的跃 /lively; spirited. Jim Carrey's facial expressions are highly animated: when he

played Ace Ventura, he looked practically rubber-faced.

animosity N. /仇恨/active enmity. He incurred the animosity of the ruling class because he advocated limitations of

their power.

animus N. / 敌意/hostile feeling or intent. The animus of the speaker became obvious to all when he began to

indulge in sarcastic and insulting remarks.

annals N. /记录，历史/records; history. In the annals of this period, we find no mention of democratic movements.

annex V. /接手/attach; take possession of. Mexico objected to the United States' attempts to annex the territory

that later became the state of Texas.

annihilate V. /毁灭，破坏/destroy. The enemy in its revenge tried to annihilate the entire population.

annotate V. / 评论，注释 /comment; make explanatory notes. In the appendix to the novel, the editor sought to

annotate many of the author's more esoteric references.

annuity N. /年金，养老金 /yearly allowance. The annuity he setup with the insurance company supplements his

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

social security benefits so that he can live very comfortably without working.

annul v. /避免/make void. The parents of the eloped couple tried to annul the marriage.

anoint V. /神化/consecrate. The prophet Samuel anointed David with oil, crowning him king of Israel.

anomalous ADJ. / 不正常的，变的态 /abnormal; irregular. He was placed in the anomalous position of seeming to

approve procedures which he despised.

*anomaly N. /不正常/irregularity. A bird that cannot fly is an anomaly.

anonymity N. /匿名/state of being nameless; anonymousness. The donor of the gift asked the college not to mention

him by name; the dean readily agreed to respect his anonymity.

anonymous ADJ. /匿名的/having no name. She tried to ascertain the identity of the writer of the anonymous letter.

antagonism N. /反抗，敌对/hostility; active resistance. Barry showed his antagonism toward his new stepmother by

ignoring her whenever she tried talking to him. antagonistic,ADJ.

antecede V. / 先于 /precede. The invention of the radiotelegraph anteceded the development of television by a

quarter of a century.

antecedentsN. /历史环境；历史背景/preceding events or circumstances that influence what comes later; ancestors or

early background. Susi Bechhofer's ignorance of her Jewish background had its antecedents in the

chaos of World War II. Smuggled out of Germany and adopted by a Christian family, she knew nothing

of her birth and antecedents until she was reunited with her family in 1989.

antediluvianADJ. / 远古，上古，及其久远 /antiquated; extremely ancient. Looking at his great-aunt's antique furniture,

which must have been cluttering up her attic since the time of Noah's flood, the young heir exclaimed,

"Heavens! How positively antediluvian!"

anthem N. / 歌，美圣赞诗/song of praise or patriotism. Let us now all join in singing the national anthem.

anthology N. /选集/book of literary selections by various authors. This anthology of science fiction was compiled by

the late Isaac Asimov. anthologize,V.

anthropocentric ADJ. /人中心类说/regarding human beings as the center of the universe. Without considering any

evidence that might challenge his anthropocentric viewpoint, Hector categorically maintained that

dolphins could not be as intelligent as men. anthropocentrism, N.

anthropoid ADJ. /类人的/manlike. The gorilla is the strongest of the anthropoid animals. also N.

anthropologist N. /人学家类 /a student of the history and science of mankind. Anthropologists have discovered

several relics of prehistoric man in this area.

anthropomorphic ADJ. / 人形的 /having human form or characteristics. Primitive religions often have deities with

anthropomorphic characteristics. anthropomorphism, N.

anticlimax N. /反高潮，突降/letdown in thought or emotion. After the fine performance in the first act, the rest of the

play was an anticlimax. anticlimactic,ADJ.

antidote N. /解药/medicine to counteract a poison or disease. When Marge's child accidentally swallowed some

cleaning fluid, the local poison control hotline instructed Marge how to administer the antidote.

antipathy N. / 反对，厌恶 /aversion; dislike. Tom's extreme antipathy for disputes keeps him from getting into

arguments with his temperamental wife. Noise in any form is antipathetic to him. Among his other

antipathies are honking cars, boom boxes, and heavy metal rock.

antiquated ADJ. /过时的，陈旧的/old-fashioned; obsolete. Philip had grown so accustomed to editing his papers on

word processors that he thought typewriters were too antiquated for him to use.

antiseptic N. / 抗菌物 /substance that prevents infection. It is advisable to apply an antiseptic to any wound, no

matter how slight or insignificant. alsoADJ.

antithesis N. / 对立面/contrast; direct opposite of or to. This tyranny was the antithesis of all that he had hoped

for, and he fought it with all his strength.

apathy N. / 漠不关心 /lack of caring; indifference. A firm believer in democratic government, she could not

understand the apathy of people who never bothered to vote. apathetic,ADJ.

ape V. /模仿/imitate or mimic. He was suspended for a week because he had aped the principal in front of

the whole school.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

aperture N. /洞，穴，孔/opening; hole. She discovered a small aperture in the wall, through which the insects

had entered the room.

apex N. /高点，点，高潮顶 /tip; summit; climax. He was at the apex of his career: he had climbed to the top of

the heap.

aphasia N. /失声/loss of speech due to injury or illness. After the automobile accident, the victim had periods of

aphasia when he could not speak at all or could only mumble incoherently.

aphorism N. /格言，警句，谚语/pithy maxim. An aphorism differs from an adage in that it is more philosophical or

scientific. "The proper study of mankind is man" is an aphorism. "There's no smoke without a fire" is

an adage. aphoristic,ADJ.

apiary N. /蜂房/a place where bees are kept. Although he spent many hours daily in the apiary, he was very

seldom stung by a bee.

aplomb N. /沉着，垂直/poise; assurance. Gwen's aplomb in handling potentially embarrassing moments was

legendary around the office; when one of her clients broke a piece of her best crystal, she coolly

picked up her own goblet and hurled it into the fireplace.

apocalyptic ADJ. /启示的，启示录的 /prophetic; pertaining to revelations. The crowd jeered at the street preacher's

apocalyptic predictions of doom. The Apocalypse or Book of Revelations of Saint John prophesies

the end of the world as we know it and foretells marvels and prodigies that signal the coming

doom.

apocryphal ADJ. / 假的，捏造的 /untrue; made up. To impress his friends, Tom invented apocryphal tales of his

adventures in the big city.

apogee N. /顶点/highest point. When the moon in its orbit is farthest away from the earth, it is at its apogee.

apolitical ADJ. / 不政治的 /having an aversion or lack of concern for political affairs. It was hard to remain

apolitical during the Vietnam War; even people who generally ignored public issues felt they had to

take political stands.

apologist N. / 者/one who writes in defense of a cause or institution. Rather than act as an apologist for the

current regime in Beijing and defend its brutal actions, the young diplomat decided to defect to the

West.

apostate N. /变节者，脱党者，叛徒/one who abandons his religious faith or political beliefs. Because he switched

from one party to another, his former friends shunned him as an apostate. apostasy, N.

Word List 4 apotheosis-astigmatism

apotheosis N. / 神化，典范 /elevation to godhood; an ideal example of something. The apotheosis of a Roman

emperor was designed to insure his eternal greatness: people would worship at his altar forever. The

hero of the musical How to Succeed in Business ... was the apotheosis of yuppieness: he was the

perfect upwardly-bound young man on the make.

appall V. /使惊慌，震惊/dismay; shock. We were appalled by the horrifying conditions in the city's jails.

apparatus N. /器械，设备/equipment. Firefighters use specialized apparatus to fight fires.

apparition N. / 鬼，幽灵 /ghost; phantom. On the castle battlements, an apparition materialized and spoke to

Hamlet, warning him of his uncle's treachery. In Ghostbusters, hordes of apparitions materialized,

only to be dematerialized by the specialized apparatus wielded by Bill Murray.

appease V. /平静，安抚/pacify or soothe; relieve. Tom and Jody tried to appease the crying baby by offering him

one toy after another, but he would not calm down until they appeased his hunger by giving him a

bottle.

appellation N. / 名字，标题 /name; title. Macbeth was startled when the witches greeted him with an incorrect

appellation. Why did they call him Thane of Cawdor, he wondered, when the holder of that title still

lived?

append V. /追加，附上/attach. When you append a bibliography to a text, you have just created an appendix.

application N. / 勤奋的付出/diligent attention. Pleased with how well Tom had whitewashed the fence, Aunt Polly

praised him for his application to the task. apply, V. (secondary meaning)

apposite ADJ. /合适的/appropriate; fitting. He was always able to find the apposite phrase, the correct expression

for every occasion.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

appraise V. /估价/estimate value of. It is difficult to appraise the value of old paintings; it is easier to call them

priceless. appraisal, N.

appreciate V. /感激；增值；赏识/be thankful for; increase in worth; be thoroughly conscious of. Little Orphan Annie

truly appreciated the stocks Daddy Warbucks gave her, which appreciated in value considerably over

the years.

apprehend V. / 逮捕；惧怕；领会 /arrest (a criminal); dread; perceive. The police will apprehend the culprit and

convict him before long.

apprehension N. / 害怕 /fear. His nervous glances at the passersby on the deserted street revealed his

apprehension.

apprenticeship N. /学徒身份/time spent as a novice learning a trade from a skilled worker. As a child, Pip had

thought it would be wonderful to work as Joe's apprentice; now he hated his apprenticeship and

scorned the blacksmith's trade.

apprise V. /告诉/inform. When he was apprised of the dangerous weather conditions, he decided to postpone

his trip.

approbation N. /同意，批准/approval. She looked for some sign of approbation from her parents, hoping her good

grades would please them.

appropriate V. /获得；挪用，据为己有/acquire; take possession of for one's own use. The ranch owners appropriated

the lands that had originally been set aside for the Indians' use.

apropos PREP. /关于/with reference to; regarding. I find your remarks apropos of the present situation timely and

pertinent. also ADJ. and ADV.

aptitude N. /能力，才能/fitness; talent. The counselor gave him an aptitude test before advising him about the

career he should follow.

aquatic ADJ. / 与水有关系的 /pertaining to water. Paul enjoyed aquatic sports such as scuba diving and

snorkeling.

aquiline ADJ. /弯曲的，钩状的/curved, hooked. He can be recognized by his aquiline nose, curved like the beak

of the eagle.

arable ADJ. / 可耕种的 /fit for growing crops. The first settlers wrote home glowing reports of the New World,

praising its vast acres of arable land ready for the plow.

arbiter N. /仲裁者/a person with power to decide a dispute; judge. As an arbiter in labor disputes, she has won

the confidence of the workers and the employers.

arbitrary ADJ. /反复无常；残暴；随机的/capricious; randomly chosen; tyrannical. Tom's arbitrary dismissal angered

him; his boss had no reason to fire him. He threw an arbitrary assortment of clothes into his suitcase

and headed off, not caring where he went.

arbitrator N. /仲裁者/judge. Because the negotiating teams had been unable to reach a contract settlement, an

outside arbitrator was called upon to mediate the dispute between union and management.

arbitration, N.

arboretum N. /植物园/place where different tree varieties are exhibited. Walking along the tree-lined paths of the

arboretum, Rita noted poplars, firs, and some particularly fine sycamores.

arcade N. / 拱廊 /a covered passageway, usually lined with shops. The arcade was popular with shoppers

because it gave them protection from the summer sun and the winter rain.

arcane ADJ. / 秘密；谜 /secret; mysterious; known only to the initiated. Secret brotherhoods surround

themselves with arcane rituals and trappings to mystify outsiders. So do doctors. Consider the arcane

terminology they use and the impression they try to give that what is arcane to us is obvious to them.

archaeologyN. / 考古学 /study of artifacts and relics of early mankind. The professor of archaeology headed an

expedition to the Gobi Desert in search of ancient ruins.

archaic ADJ. /过时的/antiquated. "Methinks," "thee," and "thou" are archaic words that are no longer part of our

normal vocabulary.

archetype N. /原形 /prototype; primitive pattern. The Brooklyn Bridge was the archetype of the many spans that

now connect Manhattan with Long Island and New Jersey.

archipelago N. / 群岛 /group of closely located islands. When Gauguin looked at the map and saw the

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

archipelagoes in the South Seas, he longed to visit them.

archives N. /档案；档案馆/public records; place where public records are kept. These documents should be part

of the archives so that historians may be able to evaluate them in the future.

ardent ADJ. /激烈的；热心肠的；有激情的 /intense; passionate; zealous. Katya's ardor was contagious; soon all

her fellow demonstrators were busily making posters and handing out flyers, inspired by her ardent

enthusiasm for the cause. ardor, N.

arduous ADJ. /努力；奋发/hard; strenuous. Her arduous efforts had sapped her energy.

aria N. / 清唱剧 /operatic solo. At her Metropolitan Opera audition, Marian Anderson sang an aria from

Norma.

arid ADJ. /荒芜的/dry; barren. The cactus has adapted to survive in an arid environment.

aristocracy N. / 贵族 /hereditary nobility; privileged class. Americans have mixed feelings about hereditary

aristocracy. we say all men are created equal, but we describe particularly outstanding people as

natural aristocrats.

armada N. / 舰队 /fleet of warships. Queen Elizabeth's navy defeated the mighty armada that threatened the

English coast.

aromatic ADJ. /芬芳的/fragrant. Medieval sailing vessels brought aromatic herbs from China to Europe.

arousal N. / 觉醒；激励 /awakening; provocation (of a response). On arousal, Papa was always grumpy as a

bear. The children tiptoed around the house, fearing they would arouse his anger by waking him up.

arraign V. /传讯；责问 /charge in court; indict. After his indictment by the Grand Jury, the accused man was

arraigned in the County Criminal Court.

array V. /排列；整理/marshal; draw up in order. His actions were bound to array public sentiment against him.

also N.

array V. /衣服；穿着，装饰 /clothe; adorn. She liked to watch her mother array herself in her finest clothes

before going out for the evening. also N.

arrears N. /欠债/being in debt. He was in arrears with his payments on the car.

arrest V. / 阻止；引起注意；吸引 /stop or slow down; catch someone's attention. Slipping, the trapeze artist

plunged from the heights until a safety net luckily arrested his fall. This near-disaster arrested the

crowd's attention.

arrogance N. /傲慢，骄傲/pride; haughtiness. Convinced that Emma thought she was better than anyone else in

the class, Ed rebuked her for her arrogance.

arroyo N. /干枯的河床/gully. Until the heavy rains of the past spring, this arroyo had been a dry bed.

arsenal N. /军火库/storage place for military equipment. People are forbidden to smoke in the arsenal for fear

that a stray spark might setoff the munitions stored there.

articulate ADJ. / 有效的；独特的 /effective; distinct. Her articulate presentation of the advertising campaign

impressed her employers. alsoV.

artifact N. / 人造物品 /object made by human beings, either handmade or mass-produced. Archaeologists

debated the significance of the artifacts discovered in the ruins of Asia Minor but came to no

conclusion about the culture they represented.

artifice N. /技巧；欺骗/deception; trickery. The Trojan War proved to the Greeks that cunning and artifice were

often more effective than military might.

artisan N. / 工匠 /manually skilled worker; craftsman, as opposed to artist. A noted artisan, Arturo was known

for the fine craftsmanship of his inlaid cabinets.

artless ADJ. /坦诚；直率/without guile; open and honest. Sophisticated and cynical, Jack could not believe Jill

was as artless and naive as she appeared to be.

ascendancy N. /统治，控制/controlling influence; domination. Leaders of religious cults maintain ascendancy over

their followers by methods that can verge on brainwashing.

ascertain V. /确，确认证/find out for certain. Please ascertain her present address.

ascetic ADJ. /苦行；禁欲/practicing self-denial; austere. The wealthy, self-indulgent young man felt oddly drawn

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

to the strict, ascetic life led by members of some monastic orders. also N.

ascribe V. /归因于；指派/refer; attribute; assign. I can ascribe no motive for her acts.

aseptic ADJ. / 抗菌的 /preventing infection; having a cleansing effect. Hospitals succeeded in lowering the

mortality rate as soon as they introduced aseptic conditions.

ashen ADJ. /灰色/ash-colored. Her face was ashen with fear.

asinine ADJ. / 愚蠢 /stupid. Your asinine remarks prove that you have not given this problem any serious

consideration.

askance ADJ. / 瞄，不经意的斜视 /with a sideways or indirect look. Looking askance at her questioner, she

displayed her scorn.

askew ADJ. /歪斜/crookedly; slanted; at an angle. When he placed his hat askew upon his head, his observers

laughed.

asperity N. /严酷，粗暴 /sharpness (of temper). These remarks, spoken with asperity, stung the boys to whom

they had been directed.

aspirant N. /有志者；有抱负的人/seeker after position or status. Although I am an aspirant for public office, I am

not willing to accept the dictates of the party bosses. alsoADJ.

aspire V. /热望；热心于/seek to attain; long for. Because he aspired to a career in professional sports, Philip

enrolled in a graduate program in sports management. aspiration, N.

assail V. /攻击/assault. He was assailed with questions after his lecture.

assay V. /分析；化验/analyze; evaluate. When they assayed the ore, they found that they had discovered a

very rich vein. also N.

assent V. /同意；接受/agree; accept. It gives me great pleasure to assentto your request.

assert V. /断言 /declare or state with confidence; put oneself forward boldly. Malcolm asserted that if Reese

quit acting like a wimp and asserted himself a bit more, he'd improve his chances of getting a date.

assertion, N.

assessment N. /评价，评估；判断/evaluation; judgment. Your SAT I score plays a part in the admission committee's

assessment of you as an applicant.

assiduous ADJ. /勤奋 /diligent. He was assiduous, working at this task for weeks before he felt satisfied with his

results. assiduity, N.

assimilate V. /吸收；同化/absorb; cause to become homogeneous. The manner in which the United States was

able to assimilate the hordes of immigrants during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries will

always be a source of pride to Americans. The immigrants eagerly assimilated new ideas and

customs; they soaked them up, the way plants soak up water.

*assuage V. /减轻（痛苦）；满足（饥渴）；安慰 /ease or lessen (pain); satisfy (hunger); soothe (anger). Jilted by

Jane, Dick tried to assuage his heartache by indulging in ice cream. One gallon later, he had

assuaged his appetite but not his grief.

assumption N. / 假定，想；采取设 /something taken for granted; taking over or taking possession of. The young

princess made the foolish assumption that the regent would not object to her assumption of power.

assume,V.

assurance N. /担保，保证；确定；自信/promise or pledge; certainty; self-confidence. When Guthrie gave Guinness

his assurance that rehearsals were going well, he spoke with such assurance that Guinness felt

relieved. assure,V.

asteroid N. / 小行星 /small planet. Asteroids have become commonplace to the readers of interstellar travel

stories in science fiction magazines.

astigmatism N. / 散光 /eye defect that prevents proper focus. As soon as his parents discovered that the boy

suffered from astigmatism, they took him to the optometrist for corrective glasses.

Word List 5 astral-barb

astral ADJ. /关于星的 /relating to the stars. She was amazed at the number of astral bodies the new telescope

revealed.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

astringent ADJ. / 收敛的/binding; causing contraction. The astringent quality of the unsweetened lemon juice made

swallowing difficult. also N.

astronomical ADJ. / 巨大，广阔 /enormously large or extensive. The government seems willing to spend

astronomical sums on weapons development.

astute ADJ. /聪明；敏锐/wise; shrewd; keen. The painter was an astute observer, noticing every tiny detail of her

model's appearance and knowing exactly how important each one was.

asunder ADV. / 分裂，分开 /into parts; apart. A fierce quarrel split the partnership asunder: the two partners finally

sundered their connections because their points of view were poles asunder.

asylum N. /庇护所/place of refuge or shelter; protection. The refugees sought asylum from religious persecution in

a new land.

asymmetric ADJ. /不对称/not identical on both sides of a dividing central line. Because one eyebrow was set markedly

higher than the other, William's face had a particularly asymmetric appearance.

atavism N. / 反祖；隔代遗传 /resemblance to remote ancestors rather than to parents; deformity returning after

passage of two or more generations. The doctors ascribed the child's deformity to an atavism.

atheistic ADJ. /无神论/denying the existence of God. His atheistic remarks shocked the religious worshippers.

atlas N. / 地图集 /a bound volume of maps, charts, or tables. Embarrassed at being unable to distinguish

Slovenia from Slovakia, George W. finally consulted an atlas.

atone V. / 偿；偿补还/make amends for; pay for. He knew no way in which he could atone for his brutal crime.

atrocity N. /暴行/brutal deed. In time of war, many atrocities are committed by invading armies.

*atrophy N. / 萎缩，变得没用 /wasting away. Polio victims need physiotherapy to prevent the atrophy of affected

limbs. alsoV.

attain V. /获得；完成/achieve or accomplish; gain. The scarecrow sought to attain one goal: he wished to obtain

a brain.

attentive ADJ. / 专心的，专注的；全神贯注 /alert and watchful; considerate; thoughtful. Spellbound, the attentive

audience watched the final game of the tennis match, never taking their eyes from the ball. A cold wind

sprang up; Stan's attentive daughter slipped a sweater over his shoulders without distracting his

attention from the game.

attenuate V. / 削弱 /make thin; weaken. By withdrawing their forces, the generals hoped to attenuate the enemy

lines.

attest V. / 明证 /testify, bear witness. Having served as a member of the Grand Jury, I can attest that our system

of indicting individuals is in need of improvement.

attribute N. /属性/essential quality. His outstanding attribute was his kindness.

attribute V. /归因于；解释 /ascribe; explain. I attribute her success in science to the encouragement she received

from her parents.

attrition N. / 裁；磨员损 /gradual decrease in numbers; reduction in the work force without firing employees;

wearing away of opposition by means of harassment. In the 1960s urban churches suffered from

attrition as members moved from the cities to the suburbs. Rather than fire staff members, church

leaders followed a policy of attrition, allowing elderly workers to retire without replacing them.

atypical ADJ. /非正常的，不正常/not normal. The child psychiatrist reassured Mrs. Keaton that playing doctor was

not atypical behavior for a child of young Alex's age. "Yes," she replied, "but not charging for house

calls!"

audacious ADJ. /大胆的；鲁莽的 /daring; bold. Audiences cheered as Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia made their

audacious, deathdefying leap to freedom, escaping Darth Vader's troops. audacity, N.

audit N. /核算，稽核/examination of accounts. When the bank examiners arrived to hold their annual audit, they

discovered the embezzlements of the chief cashier. alsoV.

auditory ADJ. /听觉的/pertaining to the sense of hearing. Audrey suffered from auditory hallucinations: she thought

Elvis was speaking to her from the Great Beyond.

augment V. / 增长 /increase; add to. Armies augment their forces by calling up reinforcements; teachers augment

their salaries by taking odd jobs.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

augury N. /占卜；预言/omen; prophecy. He interpreted the departure of the birds as an augury of evil. augur,V.

august ADJ. /威严的；令人印象深刻的/impressive; majestic. Visiting the palace at Versailles, she was impressed by

the august surroundings in which she found herself.

aureole N. /日冕/sun's corona; halo. Many medieval paintings depict saintly characters with aureoles around their

heads.

auroral ADJ. /曙光的，极光的/pertaining to the aurora borealis. The auroral display was particularly spectacular that

evening.

auspicious ADJ. /幸运的，吉祥的/favoring success. With favorable weather conditions, it was an auspicious moment to

set sail. Thomas, however, had doubts about sailing: a paranoid, he became suspicious whenever

conditions seemed auspicious.

austere ADJ. / 严厉的；朴素的/forbiddingly stern; severely simple and unornamented. The headmaster's austere

demeanor tended to scare off the more timid students, who never visited his study willingly. The room

reflected the man, austere and bare, like a monk's cell, with no touches of luxury to moderate its

austerity.

authenticateV. / 鉴别 /prove genuine. An expert was needed to authenticate the original Van Gogh painting,

distinguishing it from its imitation.

authoritarian ADJ. / 独裁 /subordinating the individual to the state; completely dominating another's will. The

leaders of the authoritarian regime ordered the suppression of the democratic protest movement.

After years of submitting to the will of her authoritarian father, Elizabeth Barrett ran away from home

with the poet Robert Browning.

authoritative ADJ. /权威；独裁/having the weight of authority; peremptory and dictatorial. Impressed by the

young researcher's well-documented presentation, we accepted her analysis of the experiment as

authoritative.

autocratic ADJ. /独裁/having absolute, unchecked power; dictatorial. Someone accustomed to exercising authority

may become autocratic if his or her power is unchecked. Dictators by definition are autocrats. Bosses

who dictate behavior as well as letters can be autocrats too.

automaton N. /机器人/mechanism that imitates actions of humans. Long before science fiction readers became

aware of robots, writers were presenting stories of automatons who could outperform men.

autonomous ADJ. /自治/self-governing. Although the University of California at Berkeley is just one part of

the state university system, in many ways Cal Berkeley is autonomous, for it runs several programs

that are not subject to outside control. autonomy, N.

autopsy N. / 尸 /examination of a dead body; post-mortem. The medical examiner ordered an autopsy to

determine the cause of death. alsoV.

auxiliary ADJ. /辅助的/helper, additional or subsidiary. To prepare for the emergency, they built an auxiliary power

station. also N.

avalanche N. /雪崩 /great mass of falling snow and ice. The park ranger warned the skiers to stay on the main

trails, where they would be in no danger of being buried beneath a sudden avalanche.

*avarice N. /贪婪，贪财/greediness for wealth. King Midas is a perfect example of avarice, for he was so greedy

that he wished everything he touched would turn to gold.

avenge V. /复仇/take vengeance for something (or on behalf of someone). Hamlet vowed he would avenge his

father's murder and punish Claudius for his horrible crime.

averse ADJ. /反对的/reluctant; disinclined. The reporter was averse to revealing the sources of his information.

aversion N. / 厌恶，抵制 /firm dislike. Bert had an aversion to yuppies; Alex had an aversion to punks. Their

mutual aversion was so great that they refused to speak to one another.

avert V. /转移；防止/prevent; turn away. She averted her eyes from the dead cat on the highway.

*aviary N. /鸟舍/enclosure for birds. The aviary at the zoo held nearly 300 birds.

avid ADJ. /贪婪/greedy; eager for. He was avid for learning and read everything he could get. avidity, N.

avocation N. / 副业，业余爱好 /secondary or minor occupation. His hobby proved to be so fascinating and

profitable that gradually he abandoned his regular occupation and concentrated on his avocation.

avow V. / 宣布 /declare openly. Lana avowed that she never meant to steal Debbie's boyfriend, but no one

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

believed her avowal of innocence.

avuncular ADJ. /像伯父（叔叔）一样的/like an uncle. Avuncular pride did not prevent him from noticing his nephew's

shortcomings.

awe N. / 敬畏 /solemn wonder. The tourists gazed with awe at the tremendous expanse of the Grand

Canyon.

awry ADV. / 扭曲的；歪曲的 /distorted; crooked. He held his head awry, giving the impression that he had

caught cold in his neck during the night. alsoADJ.

axiom N. /公理，自明的道理/self-evident truth requiring no proof. Before a student can begin to think along the

lines of Euclidean geometry, he must accept certain principles or axioms.

azure ADJ. /天蓝/sky blue. Azure skies are indicative of good weather.

babble V. /嘟囔/chatter idly. The little girl babbled about her doll. also N.

bacchanalian ADJ. /喝醉的，耍酒疯/drunken. Emperor Nero attended the bacchanalian orgy.

badger V. / 激怒，纠缠 /pester; annoy. She was forced to change her telephone number because she was

badgered by obscene phone calls.

badinage N. /开玩笑，揶揄；取消/teasing conversation. Her friends at work greeted the news of her engagement

with cheerful badinage.

baffle V. /挫败/frustrate; perplex. The new code baffled the enemy agents.

bait V. /欺负，玩弄，折磨/harass; tease. The school bully baited the smaller children, terrorizing them.

baleful ADJ. / 恶意的，有害的 /deadly; having a malign influence; ominous. The fortune teller made baleful

predictions of terrible things to come.

balk V. /反对；阻止/foil or thwart; stop short; refuse to go on. When the warden learned that several inmates

were planning to escape, he took steps to balk their attempt. However, he balked at punishing them

by shackling them to the walls of their cells.

ballast N. /配重；沙袋/heavy substance used to add stability or weight. The ship was listing badly to one side;

it was necessary to shift the ballast in the hold to get her back on an even keel. alsoV.

balm N. / （止痛的）安慰物 /something that relieves pain. Friendship is the finest balm for the pangs of

disappointed love.

balmy ADJ. /柔和的；芳香的/mild; fragrant. A balmy breeze refreshed us after the sultry blast.

banal ADJ. /平凡，腐，老生常陈谈/hackneyed; commonplace; trite; lacking originality. The hack writer's worn-

out clich6s made his comic sketch seem banal. He even resorted to the banality of having someone

slip on a banana peel!

bandy V. /传话/discuss lightly or glibly; exchange (words) heatedly. While the president was happy to bandy

patriotic generalizations with anyone who would listen to him, he refused to bandy words with

unfriendly reporters at the press conference.

bane N. /祸根/cause of ruin; curse. Lucy's little brother was the bane of her existence: his attempts to make

her life miserable worked so well that she could have poisoned him with ratsbane for having such a

baneful effect.

bantering ADJ. / 可笑的，嘲弄的 /good-natured ridiculing. They resented his bantering remarks because they

thought he was being sarcastic.

barb N. /鱼钩，钩状物/sharp projection from fishhook, etc.; openly cutting remark. If you were a politician, which

would you prefer, being caught on the barb of a fishhook or being subjected to malicious verbal

barbs? Who can blame the president if he's happier fishing than back in the capitol listening to his

critics' barbed remarks?

Word List 6 bard-bluff

bard N. /（吟游）人/poet. The ancient bard Homer sang of the fall of Troy.

baroque ADJ. / 华丽的 /highly ornate. Accustomed to the severe lines of contemporary buildings, the architecture

students found the flamboyance of baroque architecture amusing. They simply didn't go for baroque.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

barrage N. /弹幕，火力网/barrier laid down by artillery fire. The company was forced to retreat through the barrage

of heavy cannons.

barren ADJ. / 荒芜的，贫瘠的 /desolate; fruitless and unproductive; lacking. Looking out at the trackless, barren

desert, Indiana Jones feared that his search for the missing expedition would prove barren.

barricade N. /屏障；障碍物/hastily put together defensive barrier; obstacle. Marius and his fellow students hurriedly

improvised a rough barricade to block police access to the students' quarter. Malcolm and his brothers

barricaded themselves in their bedroom to keep their mother from seeing the hole in the bedroom floor.

alsoV.

barterer N. /交易商/trader. The barterer exchanged trinkets for the natives' furs. It seemed smarter to barter than

to pay cash.

bask V. /享受（温暖）；愉快，舒适 /luxuriate; take pleasure in warmth. Basking on the beach, she relaxed so

completely that she fell asleep.

bastion N. /堡垒；工事/fortress; defense. The villagers fortified the town hall, hoping this improvised bastion could

protect them from the guerillas' raids. .

bate V. /限制；抑制 /let down; restrain. Until it was time to open the presents, the children had to bate their

curiosity. bated,ADJ.

bauble N. /小玩意儿/trinket; trifle. The child was delighted with the bauble she had won in the grab bag.

bawdy ADJ. /猥亵的；下流的；卖淫的/indecent; obscene. Jack took offense at Jill's bawdy remarks. What kind of

young man did she think he was?

beam N. /光束；梁，木梁；一束电波铁 /ray of light; long piece of metal or wood; course of a radio signal. V. smile

radiantly. If a beam of light falls on you, it illuminates you; if a beam of iron falls on you, it eliminates you.

(No one feels like beaming when crushed by an iron beam.)

beatific ADJ. /祝福；幸福的/giving bliss; blissful. The beatific smile on the child's face made us very happy.

beatitude N. / 祝福 /blessedness; state of bliss. Growing closer to God each day, the mystic achieved a state of

indescribable beatitude.

bedizen V. /俗丽，俗气/dress with vulgar finery. The witch doctors were bedizened in all their gaudiest costumes.

bedraggle V. /邋遢的；湿的/wet thoroughly; stain with mud. We were so bedraggled by the severe storm that we had

to change into dry clothing. bedraggled,ADJ.

beeline N. /直线/direct, quick route. As soon as the movie was over, Jim made a beeline for the exit.

befuddle V. /迷惑/confuse thoroughly. His attempts to clarify the situation succeeded only in befuddling her further.

beget V. /得子；产生/father; produce; give rise to. One good turn may deserve another; it does not necessarily

beget another.

begrudge V. /愤恨；嫉妒/resent. I begrudge every minute I have to spend attending meetings; they're a complete

waste of time.

*beguile V. /欺骗，骗住；消磨时间/mislead or delude; pass time. With flattery and big talk of easy money, the con

men beguiled Kyle into betting his allowance on the shell game. Broke, he beguiled himself during the

long hours by playing solitaire.

behemoth N. / 怪物；怪兽 /huge creature; monstrous animal. Sportscasters nicknamed the linebacker "The

Behemoth."

belabor V. /嘴贫，过度的说；谩骂 /explain or go over excessively or to a ridiculous degree; attack verbally. The

debate coach warned her student not to bore the audience by belaboring her point.

belated ADJ. /推迟的，延期的/delayed. He apologized for his belated note of condolence to the widow of his friend

and explained that he had just learned of her husband's untimely death.

beleaguer V. / 攻击；使烦恼 /besiege or attack; harassed. The babysitter was surrounded by a crowd of

unmanageable brats who relentlessly beleaguered her.

belie V. /掩饰，造成假象；矛盾 /contradict; give a false impression. His coarse, hard-bitten exterior belied his

inner sensitivity.

belittle V. / 蔑视，使渺小 /disparage or depreciate; put down. Parents should not belittle their children's early

attempts at drawing, but should encourage their efforts. Barry was a put-down artist: he was a genius at

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

belittling people and making them feel small.

bellicose ADJ. /好斗的，好战的/warlike. His bellicose disposition alienated his friends.

belligerent ADJ. /好斗的，好斗嘴的 /quarrelsome. Whenever he had too much to drink, he became belligerent and

tried to pick fights with strangers. belligerence, N.

bemoan V. /哀叹，悲伤/lament; express disapproval of. The widow bemoaned the death of her beloved husband.

Although critics bemoaned the serious flaws in the author's novels, each year his latest book topped the

best-seller list.

bemused ADJ. /困惑的，发呆的 /confused; lost in thought; preoccupied. Jill studied the garbled instructions with a

bemused look on her face.

benediction N. /祝福/blessing. The appearance of the sun after the many rainy days was like a benediction.

benefactor N. /恩人，赞助人/gift giver; patron. Scrooge later became Tiny Tim's benefactor and gave him gifts.

beneficial ADJ. /有用的/helpful; useful. Tiny Tim's cheerful good nature had a beneficial influence on Scrooge's

onceuncharitable disposition.

beneficiary N. /（遗产）受益人/person entitled to benefits or proceeds of an insurance policy or will. In Scrooge's

will, he made Tiny Tim his beneficiary. everything he left would go to young Tim.

benevolent ADJ. / 慈善的 /generous; charitable. Mr. Fezziwig was a benevolent employer, who wished to make

Christmas merrier for young Scrooge and his other employees.

benign ADJ. /良性的，好的；和蔼可亲的/kindly; favorable; not malignant. Though her benign smile and gentle

bearing made Miss Marple seem a sweet little old lady, in reality she was a tough-minded, shrewd

observer of human nature. benignity, N.

bent ADJ; N. /先天的/determined; natural talent or inclination. Bent on advancing in the business world,

the secretary-heroine of Working Girl has a true bent for high finance.

*bequeath V. / 遗赠，（代代）相传 /leave to someone by a will; hand down. Though Maud had intended to

bequeath the family home to her nephew, she died before changing her will. bequest, N.

berate V. /严厉指责，谴责/scold strongly. He feared she would berate him for his forgetfulness.

bereavement N. /丧亲/state of being deprived of something valuable or beloved. His friends gathered to

console him upon his sudden bereavement.

bereft ADJ. / 失去的，缺少的 /deprived of; lacking; desolate because of a loss. The foolish gambler soon

found himself bereft of funds.

berserk ADV. /疯狂的，狂暴的/frenzied. Angered, he went berserk and began to wreck the room.

beseech V. /乞求，恳求/beg; plead with. The workaholic executive's wife beseeched him to spend more time

with their son.

beset V. /困扰/harass or trouble; hem in. Many vexing problems beset the American public school system.

Sleeping Beauty's castle was beset on all sides by dense thickets that hid it from view.

besiege V. /围攻/surround with armed forces; harass (with requests). When the bandits besieged the village,

the villagers holed up in the town hall and prepared to withstand a long siege. Members of the new

administration were besieged with job applications from people who had worked on the campaign.

besmirch V. / 弄脏 /soil, defile. The scandalous remarks in the newspaper besmirch the reputations of every

member of the society.

bestial ADJ. / 残忍的 /beastlike; brutal. According to legend, the werewolf was able to abandon its human

shape and take on a bestial form.

bestow V. /给予/give. He wished to bestow great honors upon the hero.

betoken V. / 预示；表示 /signify; indicate. The well-equipped docks, tall piles of cargo containers, and

numerous vessels being loaded all betoken Oakland's importance as a port.

betray V. /出卖；背叛/be unfaithful; reveal (unconsciously or unwillingly). The spy betrayed his country by

selling military secrets to the enemy. When he was taken in for questioning, the tightness of his

lips betrayed his fear of being caught.

betroth V. /订婚/become engaged to marry. The announcement that they had become betrothed surprised

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

their friends who had not suspected any romance. betrothal, N.

bevy N. /一群（少女，小）鸟 /large group. The movie actor was surrounded by a bevyof starlets.

biased ADJ. / 偏见的，偏差 /slanted; prejudiced. Because the judge played golf regularly with the district

attorney's father, we feared he might be biased in the prosecution's favor. bias, N.

bicameral ADJ. / 两院制的（参，众） /two-chambered, as a legislative body. The United States Congress is a

bicameral body.

bicker V. /争吵/quarrel. The children bickered morning, noon, and night, exasperating their parents.

biennial ADJ. / 两年一度 /every two years. Seeing no need to meet more frequently, the group held biennial

meetings instead of annual ones. Plants that bear flowers biennially are known as biennials.

bigotry N. /固执/stubborn intolerance. Brought up in a democratic atmosphere, the student was shocked by

the bigotry and narrowness expressed by several of his classmates.

bilious ADJ. /消化不良，易怒/suffering from indigestion; irritable. His bilious temperament was apparent to all

who heard him rant about his difficulties.

bilk V. /骗/swindle; cheat. The con man specialized in bilking insurance companies.

billowing ADJ. /波涛翻 /swelling out in waves; surging. Standing over the air vent, Marilyn Monroe tried vainly

to control her billowing skirts.

bivouac N. / 帐篷/temporary encampment. While in bivouac, we spent the night in our sleeping bags under

the stars. alsoV.

bizarre ADJ. /怪异的/fantastic; violently contrasting. The plot of the novel was too bizarre to be believed.

blanch V. /漂白/bleach; whiten. Although age had blanched his hair, he was still vigorous and energetic.

bland ADJ. /温和的/soothing or mild; agreeable. Jill tried a bland ointment for her sunburn. However, when

Jack absentmindedly patted her on the sunburned shoulder, she couldn't maintain a bland

disposition.

blandishment N. /阿谀奉承/flattery. Despite the salesperson's blandishments, the customer did not buy the

outfit.

blare N. /大声喊叫，令人眩晕的强光/loud, harsh roar or screech; dazzling blaze of light. I don't know which is

worse: the steady blare of a boom box deafening your ears or a sudden blare of flashbulbs

dazzling your eyes.

blasé ADJ. /厌于享乐/bored with pleasure or dissipation. Although Beth was as thrilled with the idea of a trip

to Paris as her classmates were, she tried to act super cool and blasé, as if she'd been abroad

hundreds of times.

blasphemy N. / 亵渎 /irreverence; sacrilege; cursing. In my father's house, the Dodgers were the holiest of

holies; to cheer for another team was to utter words of blasphemy. blasphemous,ADJ.

blatant ADJ. / 喧闹；俗丽 /flagrant; conspicuously obvious; loudly offensive. To the unemployed youth from

Dublin, the "No Irish Need Apply" placard in the shop window was a blatant mark of prejudice.

*bleak ADJ. / 冷淡；凄凉 /cold or cheerless; unlikely to be favorable. The frigid, inhospitable Aleutian Islands are

bleak military outposts. It's no wonder that soldiers assigned there have a bleak attitude toward their

posting.

*blighted ADJ. /完蛋了的；生病了的 /suffering from a disease; destroyed. The extent of the blighted areas could be

seen only when viewed from the air.

blithe ADJ. / 欢乐，高兴/gay; joyous; heedless. Shelley called the skylark a "blithe spirit" because of its happy

song.

bloated ADJ. /浮肿/swollen or puffed as with water or air. Her bloated stomach came from drinking so much water.

bludgeon N. /大头狼牙棒/club; heavy-headed weapon. Attacked by Dr. Moriarty, Holmes used his walking stick as a

bludgeon to defend himself. "Watson," he said, "I fear I may have bludgeoned Moriarty to death."

bluff ADJ. /直率的/rough but good-natured. Jack had a bluff andhearty manner that belied his actual sensitivity;

he never let people know how thin-skinned he really was.

bluff N. /虚伪；欺骗；悬崖/pretense (of strength); deception; high cliff. Claire thought Lord Byron's boast that he

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

would swim the Hellespont was just a bluff; she was astounded when he dove from the high bluff into

the waters below.

Word List 7 blunder-canter

blunder N. /错误/error. The criminal's fatal blunder led to his capture. alsoV.

blurt V. /脱口而出/utter impulsively. Before she could stop him, he blurted out the news.

bluster V. / 咆哮；吓唬 /blow in heavy gusts; threaten emptily; bully. "Let the stormy winds bluster," cried Jack,

"we'll set sail tonight." Jill let Jack bluster. she wasn't going anywhere, no matter what he said.

bode V. / 预兆 /foreshadow; portend. The gloomy skies and the sulphurous odors from the mineral springs

seemed to bode evil to those who settled in the area.

bogus ADJ. /赝品/counterfeit; not authentic. The police quickly found the distributors of the bogus twenty-dollar

bills.

bohemian ADJ. / 不合习俗；放不荡羁 /unconventional (in an artistic way). Gertrude Stein ran off to Paris to live an

eccentric, bohemian life with her writer friends. Oakland was not bohemian: it was too bourgeois, too

middle-class.

boisterous ADJ. /狂暴；喧嚣 /violent; rough; noisy. The unruly crowd became even more boisterous when he tried to

quiet them.

bolster V. / 支持，增援 /support; reinforce. The debaters amassed file boxes full of evidence to bolstertheir

arguments.

bolt N. / 门闩；螺钉；布匹的长度 /door bar; fastening pin or screw; length of fabric. The carpenter shut the

workshop door, sliding the heavy metal bolt into place. He sorted through his toolbox for the nuts and

bolts and nails he would need. Before he cut into the bolt of canvas, he measured how much fabric he

would need.

bolt V. /猛冲，上门闩，囫囵吞下/dash or dart off; fasten (a door); gobble down. Jack was set to bolt out the front

door, but Jill bolted the door. "Eat your breakfast," she said, "don't bolt your food."

bombardment N. /轰击（导弹）/attack with missiles. The enemy bombardment demolished the town. Members

of the opposition party bombarded the prime minister with questions about the enemy attack.

bombastic ADJ. / 夸张的 /pompous; using inflated language. Puffed up with conceit, the orator spoke in such a

bombastic manner that we longed to deflate him. bombast, N.

booming ADJ. /快速增长的，欣欣向荣；深刻的 /deep and resonant; flourishing, thriving. "Who needs a microphone?"

cried the mayor in his booming voice. Cheerfully he boomed out that, thanks to him, the city's economy

was booming. boom,V.

boon N. /恩惠，福利/blessing; benefit. The recent rains that filled our empty reservoirs were a boon to the whole

community.

boorish ADJ. / 粗鲁；笨拙 /rude; clumsy; ungentlemanly. Natasha was embarrassed by her fellow spy's boorish

behavior. "If you cannot act like a gentleman, Boris, go back to Russia: espionage is no job for clumsy

boors." boor, N.

boundless ADJ. /无限的/unlimited; vast. Mike's energy was boundless: the greater the challenge, the more vigorously

he tackled the job.

bountiful ADJ. / 富足的；慷慨的 /abundant; graciously generous. Thanks to the good harvest, we had a bountiful

supply of food and we could be as bountiful as we liked in distributing food to the needy.

bourgeois ADJ. /中产；平庸的阶级 /middle class; selfishly materialistic; dully conventional. Technically, anyone who

belongs to the middle class is bourgeois, but, given the word's connotations, most people resent it if you

call them that.

bovine ADJ. /牛的；迟钝的；耐心的/cowlike; placid and dull. Nothing excites Esther; even when she won the state

lottery, she still preserved her air of bovine calm.

bowdlerize V. /删除/expurgate. After the film editors had bowdlerized the language in the script, the motion picture's

rating was changed from "R" to "PG."

boycott V. / 抵制 /refrain from buying or using. To put pressure on grape growers to stop using pesticides that

harmed the farm workers' health, Cesar Chavez called for consumers to boycott grapes.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

braggart N. / 自夸，吹嘘 /boaster. Modest by nature, she was no braggart, preferring to let her accomplishments

speak for themselves.

brandish V. /挥舞/wave around; flourish. Alarmed, Doctor Watson wildly brandished his gun until Holmes told him

to put the thing away before he shot himself.

bravado N. /虚张声势/swagger; assumed air of defiance. The bravado of the young criminal disappeared when he

was confronted by the victims of his brutal attack.

brawn N. / 强壮的肌肉 /muscular strength; sturdiness. It takes brawn to become a champion weightlifter.

brawny,ADJ.

brazen ADJ. /厚颜无耻；傲慢/insolent. Her brazen contempt for authority angered the officials.

breach N. /违约；突破；打破/breaking of contract or duty; fissure or gap. Jill sued Jack for breach of promise,

claiming he had broken his promise to marry her. They found a breach in the enemy's fortifications

and penetrated their lines. alsoV.

breadth N. /宽度/width; extent. We were impressed by the breadth of her knowledge.

brevity N. / 简短，短暂 /conciseness. Brevity is essential when you send a telegram or cablegram; you are

charged for every word.

brindled ADJ. /有条纹或斑点的/tawny or grayish with streaks or spots. He was disappointed in the litter because

the puppies were brindled, he had hoped for animals of a uniform color.

bristling ADJ. /竖立的/rising like bristles; showing irritation. The dog stood there, bristling with anger.

brittle ADJ. /易碎的；困难的 /easily broken; difficult. My employer's self-control was as brittle as an egg-shell.

Her brittle personality made it difficult for me to get along with her.

broach V. /介绍，提出，引见/introduce; open up. Jack did not even try to broach the subject of religion with his

in-laws. If you broach a touchy subject, it may cause a breach.

brochure N. /小册子/pamphlet. This brochure on farming was issued by the Department of Agriculture.

brooch N. /胸针/ornamental clasp. She treasured the brooch because it was an heirloom.

browbeat V. / 吓唬 /bully; intimidate. Billy resisted Ted's attempts browbeat him into handing over his lunch

money.

browse V. /吃草；浏览/graze; skim or glance at casually. "How now, brown cow, browsing in the green, green

grass." I remember lines of verse that I came across while browsing through the poetry section of the

local bookstore.

brunt N. /冲击/main impact or shock. Tom Sawyer claimed credit for painting the fence, but the brunt of the

work fell on others. However, he bore the brunt of Aunt Polly's complaints when the paint began to

peel.

brusque ADJ. /唐图；直率；粗暴无礼/blunt; abrupt. Was Bruce too brusque when he brushed off Bob's request

with a curt "Not now!"?

buccaneer N. / 海盗 /pirate. At Disneyland the Pirates of the Caribbean sing a song about their lives as bloody

buccaneers.

bucolic ADJ. / 田园的 /rustic; pastoral. Filled with browsing cows and bleating sheep, the meadow was a

charmingly bucolic sight.

buffet N. / 自助餐 /table with food set out for people to serve themselves; meal at which people help

themselves to food that's been set out. Please convey the soufflé on the tray to the buffet. (Buffet

rhymes with tray.)

buffet V. / 殴打，斗殴 /slap; batter; knock about. To buffet something is to rough it up. (Buffet rhymes with

Muffett.) Was Miss Muffett buffeted by the crowd on the way to the buffet tray?

buffoonery N. /滑稽的/clowning. In the Ace Ventura movies, Jim Carrey's buffoonery was hilarious: like Bozo the

Clown, he's a natural buffoon.

bullion N. /金条，银条/gold and silver in the form of bars. Much bullion is stored in the vaults at Fort Knox.

bulwark N. / 壁垒 /earthwork or other strong defense; person who defends. The navy is our principal bulwark

against invasion.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

bumptious ADJ. /盲目自大/self-assertive. His classmates called him a show-off because of his bumptious airs.

bungalow N. /小平房/small cottage. Every summer we rent a bungalow on Cape Cod for our vacation home. The

rent is high, the roof is low-it's a basic bungalow.

bungle V. / 搞砸 /mismanage; blunder. Don't botch this assignment, Bumstead; if you bungle the job, you're

fired!

buoyant ADJ. /可漂浮的，乐观的/able to float; cheerful and optimistic. When the boat capsized, her buoyant life

jacket kept Jody afloat. Scrambling back on board, she was still in a buoyant mood, certain that

despite the delay she'd win the race.

bureaucracy N. /官僚机构/over-regulated administrative system marked by red tape. The Internal Revenue

Service is the ultimate bureaucracy. taxpayers wasted so much paper filling out IRS forms that the

IRS bureaucrats printed up a new set of rules requiring taxpayers to comply with the Paperwork

Reduction Act.

burgeon V. /发芽，成长/grow forth; send out buds. In the spring, the plants that burgeon are a promise of the

beauty that is to come.

burlesque V. /作秀，滑稽/give an imitation that ridicules. In Spaceballs, Rick Moranis burlesques Darth Vader of

Star Wars, outrageously parodying Vader's stiff walk and hollow voice.

burly ADJ. /魁伟，结实/husky; muscular. The burly mover lifted the packing crate with ease.

burnish V. /擦拭/make shiny by rubbing; polish. The maid burnished the brass fixtures until they reflected the

lamplight.

bustle V. / 喧嚣，繁忙，熙熙攘攘 /move about energetically; teem. David and the children bustled about the

house getting in each other's way as they tried to pack for the camping trip. The whole house bustled

with activity.

buttress V. /支持/support; prop up. The attorney came up with several far-fetched arguments in a vain attempt

to buttress his weak case. also N.

buxom ADJ. /丰满；充满活力；欢快/plump; vigorous; jolly. The soldiers remembered the buxom nurse who had

always been so pleasant to them.

cabal N. /内阁/small group of persons secretly united to promote their own interests. The cabal was defeated

when their scheme was discovered.

cache N. /藏身之处/hiding place. The detectives followed the suspect until he led them to the cache where he

had stored his loot. He had cached the cash in a bag for trash: it was a hefty sum.

cacophonous ADJ. / 不和 /discordant; inharmonious. Do the students in the orchestra enjoy the

cacophonous sounds they make when they're tuning up? I don't know how they can stand the racket.

cacophony, N.

cadaver N. /尸体/corpse. In some states, it is illegal to dissect cadavers.

cadaverous ADJ. / 尸体似的，白的苍 /like a corpse; pale. By his cadaverous appearance, we could see how the

disease had ravaged him.

cadence N. /平仄，重音 /rhythmic rise and fall (of words or sounds); beat. Marching down the road, the troops

sang out, following the cadence set by the sergeant.

cajole V. / 哄骗，勾引 /coax; wheedle. Diane tried to cajole her father into letting her drive the family car.

cajolery, N.

calamity N. /灾难，不幸/disaster; misery. As news of the calamity spread, offers of relief poured in to the stricken

community.

calculated ADJ. /预先计划好的，算好的；合适的 /deliberately planned; likely. Lexy's choice of clothes to wear to the

debate tournament was carefully calculated. Her conventional suit was one calculated to

appeal to the conservative judges.

caldron N. / 大锅 /large kettle. "Why, Mr. Crusoe," said the savage heating the giant caldron, "we'd love to

have you for dinner!"

caliber N. /能力；品质/ability; quality. Einstein's cleaning the blackboards again? Albert, quit it! A man of your

caliber shouldn't have to do such menial tasks.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

calligraphy N. / 漂亮的法书 /beautiful writing; excellent penmanship. As we examine ancient manuscripts, we

become impressed with the calligraphy of the scribes.

callous ADJ. /硬心肠的，无情的 /hardened; unfeeling. He had worked in the hospital for so many years that he

was callous to the suffering in the wards. callus, N.

callow ADJ. /年幼，稚嫩；无经验 /youthful; immature; inexperienced. As a freshman, Jack was sure he was a

man of the world; as a sophomore, he made fun of freshmen as callow youths. In both cases, his

judgment showed just how callow he was.

calorific ADJ. /产热的/heat-producing. Coal is much more calorific than green wood.

calumny N. /诽谤；中伤/malicious misrepresentation; slander. He could endure his financial failure, but he could

not bear the calumny that his foes heaped upon him.

camaraderieN. /友情/good-fellowship. What he loved best about his job was the sense of camaraderie he and his

coworkers shared.

cameo N. /贝壳上的浮雕；特写（演员）/shell or jewel carved in relief; star's special appearance in a minor role

in a film. Don't bother buying cameos from the street peddlers in Rome: the carvings they sell are

clumsy jobs. Did you enjoy Bill Murray's cameo in Little Shop of Horrors? He was onscreen for only a

minute, but he cracked me up.

camouflage V. / 伪装 /disguise; conceal. In order to rescue Han Solo, Princess Leia camouflaged herself in the

helmet and cloak of a space bandit.

candor N. / 开布公；坦率诚 /frankness; open honesty. Jack can carry candor too far: when he told Jill his

honest opinion of her, she nearly slapped his face. candid,ADJ.

canine ADJ. / 狗的 /related to dogs; dog-like. Some days the canine population of Berkeley seems almost to

outnumber the human population,

canny ADJ. /谨慎的；节约的/shrewd; thrifty. The canny Scotsman was more than a match for the swindlers.

cant N. / 伪善；黑话 /insincere expressions of piety; jargon of thieves. Shocked by news of the minister's

extramarital love affairs, the worshippers dismissed his talk about the sacredness of marriage as

mere cant. Cant is a form of hypocrisy: those who can, pray; those who cant, pretend.

cantankerous ADJ. / 脾气坏；易发怒 /ill humored; irritable. Constantly complaining about his treatment and

refusing to cooperate with the hospital staff, he was a cantankerous patient.

cantata N. /大合唱；康塔塔/story set to music, to be sung by a chorus. The choral society sang the new cantata

composed by its leader.

canter N. /慢跑/slow gallop. Because the racehorse had outdistanced its competition so easily, the reporter

wrote that the race was won in a canter. alsoV.

Word List 8 canto-chameleon

canto N. /（的）分篇长诗 /division of a long poem. Dante's poetic masterpiece The Divine Comedy is divided

into cantos.

canvass V. / 调查；投票 /determine votes, etc. After canvassing the sentiments of his constituents, the

congressman was confident that he represented the majority opinion of his district. also N.

capacious ADJ. /宽敞的/spacious. In the capacious rotunda of the railroad terminal, thousands of travelers lingered

while waiting for their train.

Capacity N. /能力；角色/mental or physical ability; role; ability to accommodate. Mike had the capacity to handle

several jobs at once. In his capacity as president of SelecTronics he marketed an electronic

dictionary with a capacity of 200,000 words.

capitulate V. /投降/surrender. The enemy was warned to capitulate or face annihilation.

caprice N. /反复无常；一时幻想；奇怪的想法 /sudden, unexpected fancy; whim. On a caprice, Jack tried drag-

racing, but paid the price-his father took his Chevy Caprice away from him.

capricious ADJ. /反复无常的/unpredictable; fickle. The storm was capricious: it changed course constantly. Jill was

capricious, too: she changed boyfriends almost as often as she changed clothes.

caption N. / 标题 /title; chapter heading; text under illustration. The captions that accompany The Far Side

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

cartoons are almost as funny as the pictures. alsoV.

captivate V. /迷住；迷惑/charm or enthrall. Bart and Lisa were captivated by their new nanny's winning manner.

carat N. /克拉；开；K/unit of weight for precious stones; measure of fineness of gold. He gave her a three-

carat diamond mounted in an eighteen-carat gold band.

cardinal ADJ. /主要的/chief. If you want to increase your word power, the cardinal rule of vocabulary-building is

to read.

cardiologist N. /心病专家脏 /doctor specializing in the heart. When the pediatrician noticed Philip had a slight heart

murmur, she referred him to a cardiologist for further tests.

careen V. /倾斜/lurch; sway from side to side. The taxicab careened wildly as it rounded the corner.

caricature N. /歪曲；漫画；刺画讽 /distortion; burlesque. The caricatures he drew always emphasized a personal

weakness of the people he burlesqued. alsoV.

carnage N. /残杀；大屠杀/destruction of life. The film The Killing Fields vividly depicts the carnage wreaked by

Pol Pot's followers in Cambodia.

carnal ADJ. /肉体的；欲望的/fleshly. Is the public more interested in carnal pleasures than in spiritual matters?

Compare the number of people who read Playboy daily to the number of those who read the Bible or

Koran every day.

carnivorous ADJ. /食肉的/meat-eating. The lion's a carnivorous beast. A hunk of meat makes up his feast. A cow is

not a carnivore. She likes the taste of grain, not gore.

*carping ADJ. /挑剔的，吹毛求疵/finding fault. A carping critic is a nit-picker: he loves to point out flaws. If you don't

like this definition, feel free to carp.

cartographer N. /制图者，制地图的人 /map-maker. Though not a professional cartographer, Tolkien was able

to construct a map of his fictional world.

cascade N. /小瀑布/small waterfall. We were too tired to appreciate the beauty of the many cascades because

we had to detour around them to avoid being drenched by the water cascading down.

castigate V. /严厉批评；惩罚/criticize severely; punish. When the teacher threatened that she would castigate the

mischievous boys if they didn't behave, they shaped up in a hurry.

casualty N. / 严重的事故；伤亡 /serious or fatal accident. The number of automotive casualties on this holiday

weekend was high.

cataclysm N. /巨变；剧变；灾难/upheaval; deluge. A cataclysm such as the French Revolution affects all countries.

cataclysmic,ADJ.

catalyst N. /催化剂 /agent which brings about a chemical change while it remains unaffected and unchanged.

Many chemical reactions cannot take place without the presence of a catalyst.

catapult N. /弹弓；弹射器 /slingshot; a hurling machine. Airplanes are sometimes launched from battleships by

catapults. alsoV.

cataract N. /大瀑布；白内障/great waterfall; eye abnormality. She gazed with awe at the mighty cataract known

as Niagara Falls.

catastrophe N. / 灾难 /calamity; disaster. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a catastrophe that destroyed

most of the city. A similar earthquake striking today could have even more catastrophic results.

catcall N. /嘘声/shout of disapproval; boo. Every major league pitcher has off days during which he must learn

to ignore the catcalls and angry hisses from the crowd.

catechism N. /教义问答手册；FAQ,Q&A/book for religious instruction; instruction by question and answer. He taught

by engaging his pupils in a catechism until they gave him the correct answer.

categorical ADJ. /无条件；直截了当 /without exceptions; unqualified; absolute. Though the captain claimed he was

never, never sick at sea, he finally had to qualify his categorical denial: he was "hardly ever" sick at

sea.

cater to V. /迎合/supply something desired (whether good or bad). The chef was happy to cater to the tastes of

his highly sophisticated clientele. Critics condemned the movie industry for catering to the public's

ever-increasing appetite for violence.

catharsis N. /导泻，通便；疏泄/purging or cleansing of any passage of the body. Aristotle maintained that tragedy

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

created a catharsis by purging the soul of base concepts.

catholic ADJ. /一般的，普遍的；天主教 /broadly sympathetic; liberal. He was extremely catholic in his taste and

read everything he could find in the library.

caucus N. /核心小会（秘密）组议 /private meeting of members of a party to select officers or determine policy. At

the opening of Congress, the members of the Democratic Party held a caucus to elect the Majority

Leader of the House and the Party Whip.

caulk V. /填；补漏/make watertight by filling in cracks. Jack had to caulk the tiles in the shower stall to stop

the leak into the basement below.

causal ADJ. / 因果关系的 /implying a cause-and-effect relationship. The psychologist maintained there was a

causal relationship between the nature of one's early childhood experiences and one's adult

personality. causality, N.

caustic ADJ. /腐蚀；挖苦 /burning; sarcastically biting. The critic's caustic remarks angered the hapless actors

who were the subjects of his sarcasm.

cavalcade N. / 队伍 /procession; parade. As described by Chaucer, the cavalcade of Canterbury pilgrims was a

motley group.

cavalier ADJ. /随便；傲慢/offhand or casual; haughty. The disguised prince resented the cavalier way in which

the palace guards treated him. How dared they handle a member of the royal family so

unceremoniously!

cavil V. /挑剔 /make frivolous objections. It's fine when you make sensible criticisms, but it really bugs me

when you cavil about unimportant details. also N.

cede V. / 放弃；屈服于；投降 /yield (title, territory) to; surrender formally. Eventually the descendants of

England's Henry II were forced to cede their French territories to the King of France.

celebrated ADJ. /名人/famous; well-known. Thanks to their race to break Roger Maris's home-run record, Sammy

Sosa and Mark McGwire are two of America's most celebrated baseball players. celebrity, N.

celerity N. /速度/speed; rapidity. Hamlet resented his mother's celerity in remarrying within a month after his

father's death.

celestial ADJ. /天体的/heavenly. She spoke of the celestial joys that awaited virtuous souls in the hereafter.

celibate ADJ. /未婚的，独身的 /unmarried; abstaining from sexual intercourse. The perennial bachelor vowed to

remain celibate. celibacy, N.

censor N. / 审查 /overseer of morals; person who reads to eliminate inappropriate remarks. Soldiers dislike

having their mail read by a censor but understand the need for this precaution. alsoV.

censorious ADJ. /批判的/critical. Censorious people delight in casting blame.

censure V. /责怪；批评/blame; criticize. The senator was censured for behavior inappropriate to a member of

Congress. also N.

centigrade ADJ. / 华氏 /measure of temperature used widely in Europe. On the centigrade thermometer, the

freezing point of water is zero degrees.

centrifugal ADJ. /离心；放射/radiating; departing from the center. Many automatic drying machines remove excess

moisture from clothing by centrifugal force.

centripetal ADJ. /向心/tending toward the center. Does centripetal force or the force of gravity bring orbiting bodies

to the earth's surface?

centurion N. /百夫长/Roman army officer. Because he was in command of a company of one hundred soldiers,

he was called a centurion.

cerebral ADJ. /脑的；智力的/pertaining to the brain or intellect. The content of philosophical works is cerebral in

nature and requires much thought.

cerebration N. /思考/thought. Mathematics problems sometimes require much cerebration.

ceremonious ADJ. /隆重的/marked by formality. Ordinary dress would be inappropriate at so ceremonious

an affair.

certitude N. /确实 /certainty. Though there was no certitude of his getting the job, Lou thought he had a good

chance of doing so.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

cessation N. /停止/stoppage. The airline's employees threatened a cessation of all work if management failed to

meet their demands. cease,V.

cession N. /给与；割让/yielding to another; ceding. The cession of Alaska to the United States is discussed in

this chapter.

chafe V. /摩擦；擦热/warm by rubbing; make sore (by rubbing). Chilled, he chafed his hands before the fire.

The collar of his school uniform chafed Tom's neck, but not as much the school's strict rules chafed

his spirit. also N.

chaff N. /废物；糠；假货；开玩笑；打趣 /worthless products of an endeavor. When you separate the wheat

from the chaff, be sure you throw out the chaff.

chaffing ADJ. / 开玩笑 /bantering; joking. Sometimes Chad's flippant, chaffing remarks annoy us. Still, Chad's

chaffing keeps us laughing. also N.

chagrin N. /伤自尊；委屈/vexation (caused by humiliation or injured pride); disappointment. Embarrassed by his

parents' shabby, working-class appearance, Doug felt their visit to his school would bring him nothing

but chagrin. Someone filled with chagrin doesn't grin: he's too mortified.

chalice N. / 餐杯圣 /goblet; consecrated cup. In a small room adjoining the cathedral, many ornately decorated

chalices made by the most famous European goldsmiths were on display.

chameleon N. / 变色龙 /lizard that changes color in different situations. Like the chameleon, he assumed the

political thinking of every group he met.

Word List 9 champion-colander

champion V. / 拥护 /support militantly. Martin Luther King, Jr., won the Nobel Peace Prize because he

championed the oppressed in their struggle for equality.

Chaotic ADJ. /混乱/in utter disorder. He tried to bring order into the chaotic state of affairs. chaos, N.

charisma N. / 魅力 /divine gift; great popular charm or appeal of a political leader Political commentators have

deplored the importance of a candidate's charisma in these days of television campaigning.

charlatan N. / 吹牛 /quack; pretender to knowledge. When they realized that the Wizard didn't know how to get

them back to Kansas, Dorothy and her companions were indignant that they'd been duped by a

charlatan.

chary ADJ. /谨慎；吝啬/cautious; sparing or restrained about giving. A prudent, thrifty, New Englander, DeWitt

was as chary of investing money in junk bonds as he was chary of paying people unnecessary

compliments.

chasm N. /深渊/abyss. They could not see the bottom of the chasm.

chassis N. / 底盘 /framework and working parts of an automobile. Examining the car after the accident, the

owner discovered that the body had been ruined but that the chassis was unharmed.

chaste ADJ. / 纯的 /pure. Her chaste and decorous garb was appropriately selected for the solemnity of the

occasion. chastity, N.

chasten V. /磨练/discipline; punish in order to correct. Whom God loves, God chastens.

chastise V. /惩罚/punish. I must chastise you for this offense.

chauvinist N. / 盲目爱国主义 /blindly devoted patriot. A chauvinist cannot recognize any faults in his country, no

matter how flagrant they may be. Likewise, a male chauvinist cannot recognize his bias in favor of his

own sex, no matter how flagrant that may be. chauvinistic,ADJ.

check V. /控制；阻止/stop motion; curb or restrain. Thrusting out her arm, Grandma checked Bobby's lunge at

his sister. "Young man," she said, "you'd better check your temper." (secondary meaning)

checkered ADJ. /多变的；像国际象棋棋盘一样的方格/marked by changes in fortune. During his checkered career he

had lived in palatial mansions and in dreary boardinghouses.

cherubic ADJ. / 天真无邪 /angelic; innocent-looking. With her cheerful smile and rosy cheeks, she was a

particularly cherubic child.

chicanery N. /强辩，狡辩；欺骗 /trickery; deception. Those sneaky lawyers misrepresented what occurred, made

up all sorts of implausible alternative scenarios to confuse the jurors, and in general depended on

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

chicanery to win the case.

chide V. /斥责/scold. Grandma began to chide Steven for his lying.

chimerical ADJ. /不实，空想现 /fantastically improbable; highly unrealistic; imaginative. As everyone expected, Ted's

chimerical scheme to make a fortune by raising ermines in his back yard proved a dismal failure.

chisel N. /凿子/wedgelike tool for cutting. With his hammer and chisel, the sculptor chipped away at the block

of marble.

chisel V. /欺骗/swindle or cheat; cut with a chisel. That crook chiseled me out of a hundred dollars when he

sold me that "marble" statue he'd chiseled out of some cheap hunk of rock.

Chivalrous ADJ. /勇敢；诚实/courteous; faithful; brave. Chivalrous behavior involves noble words and good deeds.

choleric ADJ. /易怒的；脾气坏发 /hot-tempered. His flushed, angry face indicated a choleric nature.

choreography N. / 舞蹈术；舞蹈记谱 /art of representing dances in written symbols; arrangement of dances.

Merce Cunningham has begun to use a computer in designing choreography. a software program

allows him to compose arrangements of possible moves and immediately view them onscreen.

chortle V. /得意的笑/chuckle with delight. When she heard that her rival had just been jailed for embezzlement,

she chortled with joy. She was not a nice lady.

chronic ADJ. / 慢性的 /long established as a disease. The doctors were finally able to attribute his chronic

headaches and nausea to traces of formaldehyde gas in his apartment.

chronicle V. /编年史/report; record (in chronological order). The gossip columnist was paid to chronicle the latest

escapades of the socially prominent celebrities. also N.

churlish ADJ. / 粗鲁的 /boorish; rude. Dismayed by his churlish mapners at the party, the girls vowed never to

invite him again.

cipher N. /密码/secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decode the message sent to him

in cipher.

cipher N. /不重要的人或物/nonentity; worthless person or thing. She claimed her ex-husband was a total cipher

and wondered why she had ever married him.

circuitous ADJ. /迂回的/roundabout. To avoid the traffic congestion on the main highways, she took a circuitous

route. circuit, N.

*circumlocution N. /婉转曲折的表达/indirect or roundabout expression. He was afraid to call a spade a spade

and resorted to circumlocutions to avoid direct reference to his subject.

circumscribe V. /限制/limit; confine. Although I do not wish to circumscribe your activities, I must insist that

you complete this assignment before you start anything else.

circumspectADJ. /慎重；周到/prudent; cautious. Investigating before acting, she tried always to be circumspect.

circumvent V. /智取；包围/outwit; baffle. In order to circumvent the enemy, we will make two preliminary attacks in

other sections before starting our major campaign.

cistern N. / 水塔；水库/reservoir or water tank. The farmers were able to withstand the dry season by using

rainwater they had stored in an underground cistern.

citadel N. /大本营/fortress. The citadel overlooked the city like a protecting angel.

cite V. /引用；掌握/quote; command. She could cite passages in the Bible from memory. citation, N.

Civil ADJ. / 民事的；国民的 /having to do with citizens or the state; courteous and polite. Although Internal

Revenue Service agents are civil servants, they are not always civil to suspected tax cheats.

clairvoyant ADJ. N. /预知；预言者/having foresight; fortuneteller. Cassandra's clairvoyant warning was not heeded by

the Trojans. clairvoyance, N.

clamber V. /爬/climb by crawling. She clambered over the wall.

clamor N. /吵闹声；噪音/noise. The clamor of the children at play outside made it impossible for her to take a

nap. alsoV.

clandestine ADJ. /秘密/secret. After avoiding their chaperon, the lovers had a clandestine meeting.

clangor N. /大声喧哗；持续的铿锵声 /loud, resounding noise. The blacksmith was accustomed to the clangor of

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

hammers on steel.

clapper N. /铃舌，钟舌 /striker (tongue) of a bell. Wishing to be undisturbed by the bell, Dale wound his scarf

around the clapper to muffle the noise of its striking.

clasp N. /扣合；紧密合作/fastening device; firm grip. When the clasp on Judy's bracelet broke, Fred repaired

it, bending the hook back into shape. He then helped her slip on the bracelet, holding it firm in the

sure clasp of his hand.

claustrophobia N. / 幽闭恐怖症/fear of being locked in. His fellow classmates laughed at his claustrophobia

and often threatened to lock him in his room.

cleave V. /劈开；黏着；忠于 /split or sever; cling to; remain faithful to. With her heavy cleaver, Julia Child can

cleave a whole roast duck in two. Soaked through, the soldier tugged at the uniform that cleaved

annoyingly to his body. He would cleave to his post, come rain or shine.

Cleft N. /裂；开裂缝 /split. Trying for a fresh handhold, the mountainclimber grasped the edge of a cleft in the

sheer rockface. alsoADJ.

clemency N. /温和；仁慈/disposition to be lenient; mildness, as of the weather. The lawyer was pleased when the

case was sent to Judge Smith's chambers because Smith was noted for her clemency toward first

offenders.

clench V. /牢牢抓住/close tightly; grasp. "Open wide," said the dentist, but Clint clenched his teeth even more

tightly than before.

cliché N. / 陈词滥调 /phrase dulled in meaning by repetition. High school compositions are often marred by

such clichés as "strong as an ox."

clientele N. /常客/body of customers. The rock club attracted a young, stylish clientele.

climactic ADJ. /顶点的，高潮的/relating to the highest point. When he reached the climactic portions of the book,

he could not stop reading. climax, N.

clime N. /地域；气候/region; climate. His doctor advised him to move to a milder clime.

Clip N. /剪辑/section of filmed material. Phil's job at Fox Sports involved selecting clips of the day's sporting

highlights for later broadcast. alsoV.

clique N. /小圈子；同行 /small exclusive group. Fitzgerald wished that he belonged to the clique of popular

athletes and big men on campus who seemed to run Princeton's social life.

cloister N. /修道院/monastery or convent. The nuns lived a secluded life in the cloister.

Clout N. /巨大的影响（政治\社会）/great influence (especially political or social). Gatsby wondered whether he

had enough clout to be admitted to the exclusive club.

cloying ADJ. /倒胃口；过度的 /distasteful (because excessive); excessively sweet or sentimental. Disliking the

cloying sweetness of standard wedding cakes, Jody and Tom chose to have homemade carrot cake

at the reception. cloy,V.

Clump N. /一，一团；沉重的脚步声；草，灌木块丛丛 /cluster or close group (of bushes, trees); mass; sound of

heavy treading. Hiding behind the clump of bushes, the fugitives waited for the heavy clump of the

soldiers' feet to fade away.

coagulate V. /凝结/thicken; congeal; clot. Even after you remove the pudding from the burner, it will continue to

coagulate as it stands; therefore, do not overcook the pudding, lest it become too thick.

*coalesce V. / 接合 /combine; fuse. The brooks coalesce into one large river. When minor political parties

coalesce, their coalescence may create a major coalition.

coalition N. /伙伴；同盟，集合/partnership; league; union. The Rainbow Coalition united people of all races in a

common cause.

coddle V. /娇养，溺爱/to treat gently. Don't coddle the children so much; they need a taste of discipline.

codicil N. / 遗嘱的附录 /supplement to the body of a will. Miss Havisham kept her lawyers busy drawing up

codicils to add to her already complicated will.

codify V. /编纂/arrange (laws, rules) as a code; classify. We need to take the varying rules and regulations of

the different health agencies and codify them into a national health code.

coercion N. / 威逼，强迫 /use of force to get someone to obey. The inquisitors used both physical and

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

psychological coercion to force Joan of Arc to deny that her visions were sent by God. coerce,V.

cogent ADJ. /有说服力的/convincing. It was inevitable that David chose to go to Harvard: he had several cogent

reasons for doing so, including a full-tuition scholarship. Katya argued her case with such cogency

that the jury had to decide in favor of her client.

cogitate V. /考虑/think over. Cogitate on this problem; the solution will come.

cognate ADJ. /同源的/related linguistically: allied by blood: similar or akin in nature. The English word "mother" is

cognate to the Latin word "mater," whose influence is visible in the words "maternal" and "maternity."

also N.

cognitive ADJ. / 认知的 /having to do with knowing or perceiving; related to the mental processes. Though Jack

was emotionally immature, his cognitive development was admirable; he was very advanced

intellectually.

cognizance N. /认知/knowledge. During the election campaign, the two candidates were kept in full cognizance of

the international situation.

cohere V. /粘住的/stick together. Solids have a greater tendency to cohere than liquids.

cohesion N. /内聚力；黏度/tendency to keep together. A firm believer in the maxim "Divide and conquer," the evil

emperor, by means of lies and trickery, sought to disrupt the cohesion of the federation of free

nations.

coiffure N. /发型/hairstyle. You can make a statement with your choice of coiffure: in the sixties many African-

Americans affirmed their racial heritage by wearing their hair in Afros.

coin V. /铸币；发明；杜撰/make coins; invent or fabricate. Mints coin good money; counterfeiters coin fakes.

Slanderers coin nasty rumors; writers coin words. A neologism is an expression that's been newly-

coined.

coincidence N. /巧合/two or more things occurring at the same time by chance. Was it just a coincidence that John

and she had chanced to meet at the market for three days running, or was he deliberately trying to

seek her out? coincidental,ADJ.

colander N. /过滤器/utensil with perforated bottom used for straining. Before serving the spaghetti, place it in a

colander to drain it.

Word List 10 collaborate-congenital

collaborate V. /协作，合作/work together. Two writers collaborated in preparing this book.

collage N. /拼贴画/work of art put together from fragments. Scraps of cloth, paper doilies, and old photographs

all went into her collage.

collate V. /校对，整理/examine in order to verify authenticity; arrange in order. They collated the newly found

manuscripts to determine their age.

collateral N. /抵押品/security given for loan. The sum you wish to borrow is so large that it must be secured by

collateral.

colloquial ADJ. / 口语的 /pertaining to conversational or common speech. Some of the new, less formal reading

passages on SAT I have a colloquial tone that is intended to make them more appealing to students.

collusion N. /勾结/Conspiring in a fraudulent scheme. The swindlers were found guilty of collusion.

colossal ADJ. /巨大/huge. Radio City Music Hall has a colossal stage.

comatose ADJ. / 昏迷；熟睡 /a coma; extremely sleepy. The longwinded orator soon had his audience in a

comatose state.

*combustible ADJ. / 易燃的 /easily burned. After the recent outbreak of fires in private homes, the fire

commissioner ordered that all combustible materials be kept in safe containers, also N.

comely ADJ. /清秀，美丽，漂亮；有吸引力的/attractive; agreeable. I would rather have a poor and comely wife

than a rich and homely one.

comeuppance N. / 报应 /rebuke; deserts. After his earlier rudeness, we were delighted to see him get his

comeuppance.

commandeer V. / 征用，招募 /to draft for military purposes; to take for public use. The policeman

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

commandeered the first car that approached and ordered the driver to go to the nearest hospital.

commemorate V. / 纪念 /honor the memory of. The statue of the Minute Man commemorates the valiant

soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War.

commensurate ADJ. /相当的，相称的/equal in extent. Your reward will be commensurate with your effort.

commiserate V. /怜悯，同情/feel or express pity or sympathy for. Her friends commiserated with the widow.

commodious ADJ. / 宽敞，舒适 /spacious and comfortable. After sleeping in small roadside cabins, they

found their hotel suite commodious.

communal ADJ. /公共的/held in common; of a group of people. When they were divorced, they had trouble dividing

their communal property.

compact N. /合，合同约 /agreement; contract. The signers of the Mayflower Compact were establishing a form of

government.

compact ADJ. /紧密的，结实的/tightly packed; firm; brief. His short, compact body was better suited to wrestling

than to basketball.

comparable ADJ. /相似的/similar. People whose jobs are comparable in difficulty should receive comparable pay.

compatible ADJ. / 和的 /harmonious; in harmony with. They were compatible neighbors, never quarreling over

unimportant matters. compatibility, N.

compelling ADJ. / 强制的 /overpowering; irresistible in effect. The prosecutor presented a well-reasoned case, but

the defense attorney's compelling arguments for leniency won over the jury.

compensatory ADJ. / 偿/making up for; repaying. Can a compensatory education program make up for the

inadequate schooling he received in earlier years?

compile V. /聚集，积累，汇集 /assemble; gather; accumulate. We planned to compile a list of the words most

frequently used on SAT I examinations.

complacency N. /自满；装模作样/self-satisfaction; smugness. Full of complacency about his latest victories,

he looked smugly at the row of trophies on his mantelpiece. complacent,ADJ.

complaisant ADJ. /彬彬有礼；殷勤 /trying to please; obliging. The courtier obeyed the king's orders in a complaisant

manner.

complement V. / 足；完善补 /complete; consummate; make perfect. The waiter recommended a glass of

port to complement the cheese. also N.

*complementary ADJ. / 足的，完善的补 /serving to complete something. John and Lisa's skills are

complementary. he's good at following a daily routine, while she's great at improvising and handling

emergencies. Together they make a great team.

compliance N. /顺从/readiness to yield; conformity in fulfilling requirements. Bullheaded Bill was not noted for easy

compliance with the demands of others. As an architect, however, Bill recognized that his design for

the new school had to be in compliance with the local building code.

compliant ADJ. /顺从/yielding. Because Joel usually gave in and went along with whatever his friends desired, his

mother worried that he might be too compliant.

complicity N. / 共犯，共同 /participation; involvement. You cannot keep your complicity in this affair secret very

long; you would be wise to admit your involvement immediately.

component N. /成分/element; ingredient. I wish all the components of my stereo system were working at the same

time.

composure N. /镇定，沉着/mental calmness. Even the latest work crisis failed to shake her composure.

compound V. /混合；合；增加组 /combine; constitute; pay interest; increase. The makers of the popular cold remedy

compounded a nasal decongestant with an antihistamine. also N.

comprehensive ADJ. /全面的 /thorough; inclusive. This book provides a comprehensive review of verbal and

math skills for the SAT.

compress V. /压缩/close; squeeze; contract. She compressed the package under her arm.

comprise V. /包括/include; consist of. If the District of Columbia were to be granted statehood, the United States

of America would comprise fifty-one states, not just fifty.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

compromiseV. /危害；妥协/adjust or settle by making mutual concessions; endanger the interests or reputation of.

Sometimes the presence of a neutral third party can help adversaries compromise their differences.

Unfortunately, you're not neutral; therefore, your presence here compromises our chances of

reaching an agreement. also N.

compunction N. /后悔/remorse. The judge was especially severe in his sentencing because he felt that the

criminal had shown no compunction for his heinous crime.

compute V. /计算 /reckon; calculate. He failed to compute the interest, so his bank balance was not accurate.

computation, N.

concave ADJ. / 空的 /hollow. The back-packers found partial shelter from the storm by huddling against the

concave wall of the cliff.

concede V. / 勉强，让步，屈从 /admit; yield. Despite all the evidence Monica had assembled, Mark refused to

concede that she was right.

conceit N. /自负，自大；离奇古怪的想法/vanity or self-love; whimsical idea; extravagant metaphor. Although Jack

was smug and puffed up with conceit, he was an entertaining companion, always expressing himself

in amusing conceits and witty turns of phrase.

concentric ADJ. /同心/having a common center. The target was made of concentric circles.

conception N. /开始，思构 /beginning; forming of an idea. At the first conception of the work, he was consulted.

conceive,V.

concerted ADJ. / 协调的/mutually agreed on; done together. All the Girl Scouts made a concerted effort to raise

funds for their annual outing. When the movie star appeared, his fans let out a concerted sigh.

concession N. / 让步 /an act of yielding. Before they could reach an agreement, both sides had to make certain

concessions.

conciliatory ADJ. /抚慰，和调 /reconciling; soothing. She was still angry despite his conciliatory words. conciliate,V.

concise ADJ. /简练/brief and compact. When you define a new word, be concise: the shorter the definition, the

easier it is to remember.

contrived ADJ. / 做作的；强的牵 /forced; artificial; not spontaneous. Feeling ill at ease with his new in-laws, James

made a few contrived attempts at conversation and then retreated into silence.

controvert V. / ；反辩论驳/oppose with arguments; attempt to refute; contradict. The witness's testimony was so clear

and her reputation for honesty so well-established that the defense attorney decided it was wiser to

make no attempt to controvertwhat she said.

contusion N. /擦伤；撞伤/bruise. Black and blue after her fall, Sue was treated for contusions and abrasions.

conundrum N. /谜语/riddle. During the long car ride, she invented conundrums to entertain the children.

convene V. /召集，集合/assemble. Because much needed legislation had to be enacted, the governor ordered the

legislature to convene in special session by January 15.

convention N. / 习俗，例惯 /social or moral custom; established practice. Flying in the face of convention, George

Sand shocked society by taking lovers and wearing men's clothes.

conventional ADJ. /典型的；普通的/ordinary; typical. His conventional upbringing left him wholly unprepared for

his wife's eccentric family.

converge V. /聚合；接近/approach; tend to meet; come together. African-American men from all over the United

States converged on Washington to take part in the historic Million Men march.

conversant ADJ. /熟悉/familiar with. The lawyer is conversant with all the evidence.

converse N. /相反的/opposite. The inevitable converse of peace is not war but annihilation.

converse V. /聊天/chat; talk informally. Eva was all ears while Lulu and Lola conversed. Wasn't it rude of her to

eavesdrop on their conversation? conversation, N.

convert N. /改变；转换；皈依/one who has adopted a different religion or opinion. On his trip to Japan, though the

President spoke at length about the virtues of American automobiles, he made few converts to his

beliefs. alsoV.

convex ADJ. /凸的/curving outward. He polished the convex lens of his telescope.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

conveyance N. / 运输；交通工具 /vehicle; transfer. During the transit strike, commuters used various kinds of

conveyances.

conviction N. /定罪；深信/judgment that someone is guilty of a crime; strongly held belief. Even her conviction for

murder did not shake Peter's conviction that Harriet was innocent of the crime.

convivial ADJ. /欢乐；高兴/festive; gay; characterized by joviality. The convivial celebrators of the victory sang their

college songs.

convoke V. /召集/call together. Congress was convoked at the outbreak of the emergency. convocation, N.

convoluted ADJ. /围绕，卷绕；费解/coiled around; involved; intricate. His argument was so convoluted that few of us

could follow it intelligently.

Copious ADJ. /丰富的，大量的/plentiful. She had copious reasons for rejecting the proposal.

coquette N. /卖弄风情的女子；蜂鸟/flirt. Because she refused to give him an answer to his proposal of marriage, he

called her a coquette. alsoV.

cordial ADJ. / 亲切；衷心 /gracious; heartfelt. Our hosts greeted us at the airport with a cordial welcome and a

hearty hug.

cordon N. /警戒线/extended line of men or fortifications to prevent access or egress. The police cordon was so

tight that the criminals could not leave the area. alsoV.

cornucopia N. / 象征丰的羊角饶 /horn overflowing with fruit and grain; symbol of abundance. The encyclopedia

salesman claimed the new edition was a veritable cornucopia of information, an inexhaustible source of

knowledge for the entire family.

corollary N. /结果，产物/consequence; accompaniment. Brotherly love is a complex emotion, with sibling rivalry its

natural corollary.

coronation N. /加冕/ceremony of crowning a queen or king. When the witches told Macbeth he would be king, they

failed to warn him he would lose his crown soon after his coronation.

corporeal ADJ. /肉体的，物质的 /bodily; material. The doctor had no patience with spiritual matters: his job was to

attend to his patients' corporeal problems, not to minister to their souls.

corpulent ADJ. /肥胖/very fat. The corpulent man resolved to reduce. corpulence, N.

correlation N. /相互的关系/mutual relationship. He sought to determine the correlation that existed between ability in

algebra and ability to interpret reading exercises. correlate, V., N.

corroborate V. / 确；支持认 /confirm; support. Though Huck was quite willing to corroborate Tom's story, Aunt Polly

knew better than to believe either of them.

corrode V. /腐蚀/destroy by chemical action. The girders supporting the bridge corroded so gradually that no one

suspected any danger until the bridge suddenly collapsed. corrosion, N.

corrosive ADJ. / 腐蚀性的 /eating away by chemicals or disease. Stainless steel is able to withstand the effects of

corrosive chemicals. corrode,V.

corrugated ADJ. /皱的/wrinkled; ridged. She wished she could smooth away the wrinkles from his corrugated brow.

Cosmic ADJ. /宇宙的；巨大的/pertaining to the universe; vast. Cosmic rays derive their name from the fact that they

bombard the earth's atmosphere from outer space. COSMOS, N.

cosmopolitan ADJ. /世界主义/sophisticated. Her years in the capitol had transformed her into a cosmopolitan

young woman highly aware of international affairs.

coterie N. / 同行，圈内人 /group that meets socially; select circle. After his book had been published, he was

invited to join the literary coterie that lunched daily at the hotel.

countenance V. /忍受；接受/approve; tolerate. He refused to countenance such rude behavior on their part.

countenance N. / 脸 /face. When Jose saw his newborn daughter, a proud smile spread across his

countenance.

countermand V. /取消；废除/cancel; revoke. The general countermanded the orders issued in his absence.

culvert N. /水管/artificial channel for water. If we build a culvert under the road at this point, we will reduce the

possibility of the road's being flooded during the rainy season.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

cumbersome ADJ. /粗笨的；累赘/heavy; hard to manage. He was burdened down with cumbersome parcels.

cumulative ADJ. /累积/growing by addition. Vocabulary building is a cumulative process: as you go through your flash

cards, you will add new words to your vocabulary, one by one.

cupidity N. / 贪婪 /greed. The defeated people could not satisfy the cupidity of the conquerors, who demanded

excessive tribute.

curator N. /主管；理经 /superintendent; manager. The members of the board of trustees of the museum expected

the new curator to plan events and exhibitions that would make the museum more popular.

curmudgeon N. / 脾气坏；吝啬 /churlish, miserly individual. Although he was regarded by many as a

curmudgeon, a few of us were aware of the many kindnesses and acts of charity that he secretly

performed.

cursive ADJ. /流动的；连接的 /flowing, running. In normal writing we run our letters together in cursive form; in

printing, we separate the letters.

cursory ADJ. /草率；匆忙/casual; hastily done. Because a cursory examination of the ruins indicates the possibility

of arson, we believe the insurance agency should undertake a more extensive investigation of the fire's

cause.

curtail V. /减短；降低 /shorten; reduce. When Herb asked Diane for a date, she said she was really sorry she

couldn't go out with him, but her dad had ordered her to curtail her social life.

cynical ADJ. / 愤世嫉俗 /skeptical or distrustful of human motives. Cynical from birth, Sidney was suspicious

whenever anyone gave him a gift "with no strings attached." cynic, N.

cynosure N. / 广受注意的目标 /the object of general attention. As soon as the movie star entered the room, she

became the cynosure of all eyes.

dabble V. /涉猎，尝试；溅/work at in a non-serious fashion; splash around. The amateur painter dabbled at art,

but seldom produced a finished piece. The children dabbled their hands in the bird bath, splashing one

another gleefully.

dais N. /讲台/raised platform for guests of honor. When he approached the dais, he was greeted by cheers

from the people who had come to honor him.

dank ADJ. /湿的；湿透的/damp. The walls of the dungeon were dank and slimy.

dapper ADJ. /整齐的，优雅的/neat and trim. In "The Odd Couple" TV show, Tony Randall played Felix Unger, an

excessively dapper soul who could not stand to have a hair out of place.

dappled ADJ. /有斑点的/spotted. The sunlight filtering through the screens created a dappled effect on the wall.

daub V. /涂抹 /smear (as with paint). From the way he daubed his paint on the canvas, I could tell he knew

nothing of oils. also N.

daunt V. /惊吓；胁迫/intimidate; frighten. "Boast all you like of your prowess. Mere words cannot daunt me," the

hero answered the villain.

dauntless ADJ. /胆大的/bold. Despite the dangerous nature of the undertaking, the dauntless soldier volunteered for

the assignment.

dawdle V. / 游手好；混日子闲 /loiter; waste time. We have to meet a deadline so don't dawdle; just get down to

work.

deadlock N. /僵局/standstill; stalemate. Because negotiations had reached a deadlock, some of the delegates had

begun to mutter about breaking off the talks. alsoV.

deadpan ADJ. / 没有表情的；呆板的 /wooden; impersonal. We wanted to see how long he could maintain his

deadpan expression.

dearth N. /稀缺；缺乏/scarcity. The dearth of skilled labor compelled the employers to open trade schools.

debacle N. /崩 /sudden downfall; complete disaster. In the Airplane movies, every flight turns into a debacle, with

passengers and crew members collapsing, engines falling apart, and carry-on baggage popping out of

the overhead bins.

debase V. /贬低，降低/reduce in quality or value; lower in esteem; degrade. In The King and l, Anna refuses to

kneel down and prostrate herself before the king, for she feels that to do so would debase her position,

and she will not submit to such debasement.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

debauch V. /堕落，放荡/corrupt; seduce from virtue. Did Socrates' teachings lead the young men of Athens to be

virtuous citizens, or did they debauch the young men, causing them to question the customs of their

fathers? Clearly, Socrates' philosophical talks were nothing like the wild debauchery of the toga parties

in Animal House.

debilitate V. /使虚弱，衰弱/weaken; enfeeble. Michael's severe bout of the flu debilitated him so much that he was

too tired to go to work for a week.

debonair ADJ. /温文尔雅；友好；殷勤/friendly; aiming to please. The debonair youth was liked by all who met him,

because of his cheerful and obliging manner.

debris N. / 碎片；残骸 /rubble. A full year after the earthquake in Mexico City, they were still carting away the

debris.

debunk V. /揭穿；奚落/expose as false, exaggerated, worthless, etc; ridicule. Pointing out that he consistently had

voted against strengthening anti-pollution legislation, reporters debunked the candidate's claim that he

was a fervent environmentalist.

debutante N. /初次参加社交活动的女孩/young woman making formal entrance into society. As a debutante, she was

often mentioned in the society columns of the newspapers.

decadence N. / 颓废；腐坏 /decay. The moral decadence of the people was reflected in the lewd literature of the

period.

decapitate V. /斩首，杀头/behead. They did not hang Lady Jane Grey; they decapitated her. "Off with her head!"

cried the Duchess, eager to decapitate poor Alice.

decelerate V. /减慢/slow down. Seeing the emergency blinkers in the road ahead, he decelerated quickly.

Word List 13 deciduous-dermatologist

deciduous ADJ. /落叶的/falling off as of leaves. The oak is a deciduous tree; in winter it looks quite bare.

decimate V. / 残杀（十个里面杀一个） /kill, usually one out of ten. We do more to decimate our population in

automobile accidents than we do in war.

decipher V. / 破译，解密 /interpret secret code. Lacking his code book, the spy was unable to decipher the

scrambled message sent to him from the KGB.

declivity N. /下坡/downward slope. The children loved to ski down the declivity.

decollete ADJ. / 低肩露的服装颈 /having a low-necked dress. Current fashion decrees that evening gowns be

decollete this season; bare shoulders are again the vogue.

decomposition N. /瓦解；腐烂/decay. Despite the body's advanced state of decomposition, the police were

able to identify the murdered man.

decorum N. /礼貌；温文尔雅/propriety; orderliness and good taste in manners. Even the best-mannered students

have trouble behaving with decorum on the last day of school. decorous,ADJ.

decoy N. /引诱/lure or bait. The wild ducks were not fooled by the decoy. alsoV.

decrepit ADJ. /老化，磨损/worn out by age. The decrepit car blocked traffic on the highway.

decrepitude N. / 衰老；老耄 /state of collapse caused by illness or old age. I was unprepared for the state of

decrepitude in which I had found my old friend; he seemed to have aged twenty years in six months.

decry V. / 强烈反对 /express strong disapproval of; disparage. The founder of the Children's Defense Fund,

Marian Wright Edelman, strongly decries the lack of financial and moral support for children in

America today.

deducible ADJ. /可推导的，可推论的 /derived by reasoning. If we accept your premise, your conclusions are easily

deducible.

deface V. /丑化/mar; disfigure. If you deface a library book, you will have to pay a hefty fine.

defame V. /丑化；诽谤/harm someone's reputation; malign; slander. If you try to defame my good name, my

lawyers will see you in court. If rival candidates persist in defaming one another, the voters may

conclude that all politicians are crooks. defamation, N.

default N. /不作为，无动于衷/failure to act. When the visiting team failed to show up for the big game, they lost

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

the game by default. When Jack failed to make the payments on his Jaguar, the dealership took back

the car because he had defaulted on his debt.

defeatist ADJ. /失主者败义 /attitude of one who is ready to accept defeat as a natural outcome. If you maintain

your defeatist attitude, you will never succeed. also N.

defection N. / 缺点；逃，叛逃跑 /desertion. The children, who had made him an idol, were hurt most by his

defection from our cause.

defer V. /推迟，延期/delay till later; exempt temporarily. In wartime, some young men immediately volunteer

to serve; others

defer /缓招/making plans until they hear from their draft boards. During the Vietnam War, many young men,

hoping to be deferred, requested student deferments.

defer V. / 听从 /give in respectfully; submit. When it comes to making decisions about purchasing software,

we must defer to Michael, our computer guru; he gets the final word. Michael, however, can defer

these questions to no one; only he can decide.

deference N. / 尊重的，尊重他人的 /courteous regard for another's wish. In deference to the minister's request,

please do not take photographs during the wedding service.

defiance N. /抵抗；不屈服/refusal to yield; resistance. When John reached the "terrible two's," he responded to

every parental request with howls of defiance. defy,V.

defile V. /污染；亵渎/pollute; profane. The hoodlums defiled the church with their scurrilous writing.

definitive ADJ. / 完全的；最的终 /final; complete. Carl Sandburg's Abraham Lincoln may be regarded as the

definitive work on the life of the Great Emancipator.

deflect V. /反射，偏转/turn aside. His life was saved when his cigarette case deflected the bullet.

defoliate V. /落叶/destroy leaves. In Vietnam the army made extensive use of chemical agents to defoliate the

woodlands.

defray V. /偿付/pay the costs of. Her employer offered to defray the costs of her postgraduate education.

deft ADJ. /灵巧的，敏锐地/neat; skillful. The deft waiter uncorked the champagne without spilling a drop.

defunct ADJ. /死的；不存在的，报废的/dead; no longer in use or existence. The lawyers sought to examine the

books of the defunct corporation.

defuse V. /拆弹；化解（危机）/remove the fuse of a bomb; reduce or eliminate a threat. Police negotiators are

trained to defuse dangerous situations by avoiding confrontational language and behavior.

degenerate V. /恶化 /become worse; deteriorate. As the fight dragged on, the champion's style degenerated until

he could barely keep on his feet.

degradation N. / 降；降格；退化级 /humiliation; debasement; degeneration. Some secretaries object to

fetching the boss a cup of coffee because they resent the degradation of being made to do such

lowly tasks. degrade,V.

dehydrate V. /脱水 /remove water from; dry out. Running under a hot sun quickly dehydrates the body; joggers

soon learn to carry water bottles and to drink from them frequently.

deify V. /神化/ turn into a god; idolize. Admire Elvis Presley all you want; just don't deify him.

deign V. /屈服，屈尊/condescend; stoop. The celebrated fashion designer would not deign to speak to a mere

seamstress; his overburdened assistant had to convey the master's wishes to the lowly workers

assembling his great designs.

delectable ADJ. /使人愉快的/delightful; delicious. We thanked our host for a most delectable meal.

delete V. / 删除 /erase; strike out. Less is more: if you delete this paragraph, your whole essay will have

greater appeal.

deleterious ADJ. /有害的/harmful. If you believe that smoking is deleterious to your health (and the Surgeon General

certainly does), then quit!

deliberate V. /深思熟虑的；商讨/consider; ponder. Offered the new job, she asked for time to deliberate before she

told them her decision,

delineate V. / 描绘；描述 /portray; depict; sketch. Using only a few descriptive phrases, Austen delineates the

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

character of Mr. Collins so well that we can predict his every move. delineation, N.

delirium N. /精神错乱/mental disorder marked by confusion. In his delirium, the drunkard saw pink panthers and

talking pigs. Perhaps he wasn't delirious: he might just have wandered into a movie.

delude V. /盅惑/deceive. His mistress may have deluded herself into believing that he would leave his wife and

marry her.

deluge N. /冲（水）（刺）/flood; rush. When we advertised the position, we received a deluge of applications.

delusion N. / 错觉 /false belief; hallucination. Don suffers from delusions of grandeur: he thinks he's a world-

famous author when he's published just one paperback book.

delve V. /挖掘；调查/dig; investigate. Delving into old books and manuscripts is part of a researcher's job.

demagogue N. /煽动政治家/person who appeals to people's prejudice; false leader of people. He was accused of

being a demagogue because he made promises that aroused futile hopes in his listeners.

demean V. /降；低级贬 /degrade; humiliate. Standing on his dignity, he refused to demean himself by replying to

the offensive letter. If you truly believed in the dignity of labor, you would not think it would demean

you to work as a janitor.

demeanor N. /风度；行为/behavior; bearing. His sober demeanor quieted the noisy revelers.

demented ADJ. /疯狂的/insane. Doctor Demento was a lunatic radio personality who liked to act as if he were truly

demented. If you're demented, your mental state is out of whack; in other words, you're wacky.

demise N. /死/death. Upon the demise of the dictator, a bitter dispute about succession to power developed.

demolition N. /拆除/destruction. One of the major aims of the air force was the complete demolition of all means of

transportation by bombing of rail lines and terminals. demolish,V.

demoniac ADJ. /魔鬼的/fiendish. The Spanish Inquisition devised many demoniac means of torture. demon, N.

demur V. / 反对；犹豫 /object (because of doubts, scruples); hesitate. When offered a post on the board of

directors, David demurred: he had scruples about taking on the job because he was unsure he could

handle it in addition to his other responsibilities.

demure ADJ. /端庄的；认真的；腼腆的 /grave; serious; coy. She was demure and reserved, a nice modest girl

whom any young man would be proud to take home to his mother.

demystify V. /澄清；揭秘/clarify; free from mystery or obscurity. Helpful doctors demystify medical procedures by

describing them in everyday language, explaining that a myringotomy, for example, is an operation

involving making a small hole in one's eardrum.

denigrate V. /抹黑 /blacken. All attempts to denigrate the character of our late president have failed; the people

still love him and cherish his memory.

denizen N. /居民；常客/inhabitant or resident; regular visitor. In The Untouchables, Eliot Ness fights AI Capone

and the other denizens of Chicago's underworld. Ness's fight against corruption was the talk of all the

denizens of the local bars.

denotation N. /指示；根据名字区别/meaning; distinguishing by name. A dictionary will always give us the denotation

of a word; frequently, it will also give us the connotations. denote,V.

denouementN. /结局；结果 /outcome; final development of the plot of a play. The play was childishly written; the

denouement was obvious to sophisticated theatergoers as early as the middle of the first act.

denounce V. /咒骂；批评 /condemn; criticize. The reform candidate denounced the corrupt city officers for having

betrayed the public's trust. denunciation, N.

depict V. /描述/portray. In this sensational exposé, the author depicts Beatle John Lennon as a drug-crazed

neurotic. Do you question the accuracy of this depiction of Lennon?

deplete V. /耗尽；减少/reduce; exhaust. We must wait until we deplete our present inventory before we order

replacements.

deplore V. /悔恨/regret; disapprove of. Although I deplore the vulgarity of your language, I defend your right to

express yourself freely.

deploy V. /散开；部署/spread out [troops] in an extended though shallow battle line. The general ordered the

battalion to deploy in order to meet the enemy offensive.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

depose V. /革职/dethrone; remove from office. The army attempted to depose the king and set up a military

government.

deposition N. /宣言，誓言/testimony under oath. He made his deposition in the judge's chamber.

depravity N. / 堕落，腐坏 /extreme corruption; wickedness. The depravity of Caligula's behavior came to sicken

even those who had willingly participated in his earlier, comparatively innocent orgies.

deprecate V. /抗议；蔑视/express disapproval of; protest against; belittle. A firm believer in old-fashioned courtesy,

Miss Post deprecated the modern tendency to address new acquaintances by their first names.

deprecatory,ADJ.

depreciate V. /折旧/lessen in value. If you neglect this property, it will depreciate.

depredation N. /掠夺/plundering. After the depredations of the invaders, the people were penniless.

deranged ADJ. /不理智/insane. He had to be institutionalized because he was mentally deranged.

derelict ADJ. / 遗弃的；废弃的/abandoned; negligent. The derelict craft was a menace to navigation. Whoever

abandoned it in the middle of the harbor was derelict in living up to his responsibilities as a boat

owner. also N.

deride V. / 打趣；取消 /ridicule; make fun of. The critics derided his pretentious dialogue and refused to

consider his play seriously. derision, N.

derivative ADJ. /派生的/unoriginal; derived from another source. Although her early poetry was clearly derivative in

nature,the critics thought she had promise and eventually would find her own voice.

dermatologist N. / 皮肤病专家 /one who studies the skin and its diseases. I advise you to consult a

dermatologist about your acne.

Word List 14 derogatory-disgruntle

derogatory ADJ. /贬低的，贬损的/expressing a low opinion. I resent your derogatory remarks.

descant V. /全面而的详细讨论/discuss fully. He was willing to descant upon any topic of conversation, even when

he knew very little about the subject under discussion. also N.

descry V. /看到/catch sight of. In the distance, we could barely descry the enemy vessels.

desecrate V. /亵渎/profane; violate the sanctity of. Shattering the altar and trampling the holy objects underfoot,

the invaders desecrated the sanctuary.

desiccate V. /弄干/dry up. A tour of this smokehouse will give you an idea of how the pioneers used to desiccate

food in order to preserve it.

desolate ADJ. /荒无人烟的/unpopulated. After six months in the crowded, bustling metropolis, David was so sick of

people that he was ready to head for the most desolate patch of wilderness he could find.

desolate V. /放弃 /rob of joy; lay waste to; forsake. The bandits desolated the countryside, burning farms and

carrying off the harvest.

despise V. look on with scorn; regard as worthless or distasteful. Mr. Bond, I despise spies; I look down on

them as mean, despicable, honorless men, whom I would wipe from the face of the earth with as little

concern as I would scrape dog droppings from the bottom of my shoe.

despoil V. /掠夺/plunder. If you do not yield, I am afraid the enemy will despoil the countryside.

despondent ADJ. / 忧郁的；沮丧的 /depressed; gloomy. To the dismay of his parents, William became seriously

despondent after he broke up with Jan; they despaired of finding a cure for his gloom. despondency,

despot N. /暴君/tyrant; harsh, authoritarian ruler. How could a benevolent king turn overnight into a despot?

destitute ADJ. /一如洗贫 /extremely poor. Because they had no health insurance, the father's costly illness left the

family destitute.

desultory ADJ. /慢无目的的；断断续续的/aimless; haphazard; digressing at random. In prison Malcolm X set himself

the task of reading straight through the dictionary; to him, reading was purposeful, not desultory.

detached ADJ. /分离的/emotionally removed; calm and objective; physically unconnected. A psychoanalyst must

maintain a detached point of view and stay uninvolved with his or her patients' personal lives. To a

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

child growing up in an apartment or a row house, to live in a detached house was an unattainable

dream.

detergent N. /洗精；洗洁涤剂/cleansing agent. Many new detergents have replaced soap.

determination N. /决定；测量，计算；解决/resolve; measurement or calculation; decision. Nothing could shake

his determination that his children would get the best education that money could buy. Thanks to my

pocket calculator, my determination of the answer to the problem took only seconds of my time.

deterrent N. /挫败；使气馁/something that discourages; hindrance. Does the threat of capital punishment serve

as a deterrent to potential killers? deter,V.

detonation N. /引爆，爆炸/explosion. The detonation of the bomb could be heard miles away.

detraction N. /诽谤/slandering; aspersion. He is offended by your frequent detractions of his ability as a leader.

detrimental ADJ. / 有害的 /harmful; damaging. The candidate's acceptance of major financial contributions from a

wellknown racist ultimately proved detrimental to his campaign, for he lost the backing of many of his

early grassroots supporters. detriment, N.

deviate V. / 背离 /turn away from (a principle, norm); depart; diverge. Richard never deviated from his daily

routine: every day he set off for work at eight o'clock, had his sack lunch (peanut butter on whole

wheat) at 12:15, and headed home at the stroke of five.

devious ADJ. /拐弯抹角的；偏僻的/roundabout; erratic; not straightforward. The Joker's plan was so devious that it

was only with great difficulty we could follow its shifts and dodges.

devise V. / 设计；发明 /think up; invent; plan. How clever he must be to have devised such a devious plan!

What ingenious inventions might he have devised if he had turned his mind to science and not to

crime.

devoid ADJ. /缺乏的/lacking. You may think her mind is a total void, but she's actually not devoid of intelligence.

She just sounds like an airhead.

devotee N. /热心的追随者/enthusiastic follower. A devotee of the opera, he bought season tickets every year.

devout ADJ. /虔诚的；诚恳的/pious. The devout man prayed daily.

dexterous ADJ. / 灵巧的；右撇子 /skillful. The magician was so dexterous that we could not follow him as he

performed his tricks.

diabolical ADJ. /恶魔的/devilish. "What a fiend I am, to devise such a diabolical scheme to destroy Gotham City,"

chortled the Joker gleefully.

diagnosis N. /诊断/art of identifying a disease; analysis of a condition. In medical school Margaret developed her

skill at diagnosis, learning how to read volumes from a rapid pulse or a hacking cough. diagnose,

V.; diagnostic,ADJ.

discomfit V. /扰乱/put to rout; defeat; disconcert. This ruse will discomfitthe enemy. discomfiture, N.

discomfited,ADJ.

discomposure N. / 心乱；不安 /agitation; loss of poise. Perpetually poised, Agent 007 never exhibited a

moment's discomposure.

disconcert V. / 迷惑；扰乱；使难堪 /confuse; upset; embarrass. The lawyer was disconcerted by the evidence

produced by her adversary.

disconsolate ADJ. /悲伤；沮丧/sad. The death of his wife left him disconsolate.

discord N. / 冲突的；不和谐的 /conflict; lack of harmony. Watching Tweedledum battle Tweedledee, Alice

wondered what had caused this pointless discord.

discordant ADJ. /不和的；冲突的谐 /not harmonious; conflicting. Nothing is quite so discordant as the sound of a

junior high school orchestra tuning up.

discount V. /漠视；解散/disregard; dismiss. Be prepared to discount what he has to say about his ex-wife.

discourse N. /演讲；谈话 /formal discussion; conversation. The young Plato was drawn to the Agora to hear the

philosophical discourse of Socrates and his followers. alsoV.

discredit V. /不信任；丢脸/defame; destroy confidence in; disbelieve. The campaign was highly negative in tone;

each candidate tried to discredit the other.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

discrepancy N. / 相差；缺乏一致 /lack of consistency; difference. The police noticed some discrepancies in his

description of the crime and did not believe him.

discrete ADJ. /分离；没有关系的/separate; unconnected. The universe is composed of discrete bodies.

discretion N. / 判断力；审慎的 /prudence; ability to adjust actions to circumstances. Use your discretion in this

matter and do not discuss it with anyone. discreet,ADJ.

discriminating ADJ. / 有识别能力的；有偏见的 /able to see differences; prejudiced. A superb interpreter of

Picasso, she was sufficiently discriminating to judge the most complex works of modern art.

(secondary meaning) discrimination, N.

discursive ADJ. / 散漫的；不得要的领 /digressing; rambling. As the lecturer wandered from topic to topic, we

wondered what if any point there was to his discursive remarks.

disdain V. /蔑视/view with scorn or contempt. In the film Funny Face, the bookish heroine disdained fashion

models for their lack of intellectual interests. also N.

disembark V. /登陆；靠岸/go ashore; unload cargo from a ship. Before the passengers could disembark, they had

to pick up their passports from the ship's purser.

disenfranchise V. / 剥夺（公民权） /deprive of a civil right. The imposition of the poll tax effectively

disenfranchised poor Southern blacks, who lost their right to vote.

disengage V. /脱离；分离/uncouple; separate; disconnect. A standard movie routine involves the hero's desperate

attempt to disengage a railroad car from a moving train.

disfigure V. /诬陷，抹黑，诽谤/mar in beauty; spoil. An ugly frown disfigured his normally pleasant face.

disgorge V. /吐出，涌出，呕吐/surrender something; eject; vomit. Unwilling to disgorge the cash he had stolen

from the pension fund, the embezzler tried to run away.

disgruntle V. /使郁闷/make discontented. The passengers were disgruntled by the numerous delays.

Word List 15 dishearten-duplicity

dishearten V. /挫败 /discourage; cause to lose courage or hope. His failure to pass the bar exam disheartened

him.

disheveled ADJ. /邋遢，肮脏/untidy. Your disheveled appearance will hurt your chances in this interview.

disinclination N. /不情愿，恶厌 /unwillingness. Some mornings I feel a great disinclination to get out of bed

disingenuous ADJ. /不的诚恳 /lacking genuine candor; insincere. Now that we know the mayor and his wife

are engaged in a bitter divorce fight, we find their earlier remarks regretting their lack of time together

remarkably disingenuous.

disinter V. /挖出，出土/dig up; unearth. They disinterred the body and held an autopsy.

disinterested ADJ. / 公允的 /unprejudiced. Given the judge's political ambitions and the lawyers' financial

interest in the case, the only disinterested person in the courtroom may have been the court reporter.

disjointed ADJ. /断开/disconnected. His remarks were so disjointed that we could not follow his reasoning.

dislodge V. /强制移除/remove (forcibly). Thrusting her fist up under the choking man's lower ribs, Margaret used

the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the food caught in his throat.

dismantle V. /拆除/take apart. When the show closed, they dismantled the scenery before storing it.

dismay V. /使沮丧；使害怕/discourage; frighten. The huge amount of work she had left to do dismayed her. also

dismember V. / 分解，肢解 /cut into small parts. When the Austrian Empire was dismembered, several new

countries were established.

dismiss V. /拒绝；排除/put away from consideration; reject. Believing in John's love for her, she dismissed the

notion that he might be unfaithful. (secondary meaning)

disparage V. /忽略，轻视/belittle. A doting mother, Emma was more likely to praise her son's crude attempts at art

than to disparage them.

disparate ADJ. /大相径庭的；没关系的/basically different; unrelated. Unfortunately, Tony and Tina have disparate

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

notions of marriage: Tony sees it as a carefree extended love affair, while Tina sees it as a solemn

commitment to build a family and a home.

disparity N. /不同；差距/difference; condition of inequality. Their disparity in rank made no difference at all to the

prince and Cinderella.

dispassionate ADJ. /平静的；公平的 /calm; impartial. Known in the company for his cool judgment, Bill could

impartially examine the causes of a problem, giving a dispassionate analysis of what had gone

wrong, and go on to suggest how to correct the mess.

dispatch N. / 急速；急件 /speediness; prompt execution; message sent with all due speed. Young Napoleon

defeated the enemy with all possible dispatch; he then sent a dispatch to headquarters informing his

commander of the great victory. alsoV.

dispel V. /散开；分裂；消失/scatter; drive away; cause to vanish. The bright sunlight eventually dispelled the

morning mist.

disperse V. /散开/scatter. The police fired tear gas into the crowd to disperse the protesters. dispersion, N.

dispirited ADJ. /没情绪的，沮丧的/lacking in spirit. The coach used all the tricks at his command to buoy up the

enthusiasm of his team, which had become dispirited at the loss of the star player.

disputatiousADJ. /好辩的 /argumentative; fond of arguing. Convinced he knew more than his lawyers, Alan was a

disputatious client, ready to argue about the best way to conduct the case. disputant, N.

disquiet V. /使焦虑，使难受/make uneasy or anxious. Holmes's absence for a day, slightly disquieted Watson;

after a week with no word, however, Watson's uneasiness about his missing friend had grown into a

deep fear for his safety. disquietude, N.

dissection N. /分析；解剖 /analysis; cutting apart in order to examine. The dissection of frogs in the laboratory is

particularly unpleasant to some students.

dissemble V. / 伪装，做作，掩饰 /disguise; pretend. Even though John tried to dissemble his motive for taking

modern dance, we all knew he was there not to dance but to meet girls.

disseminate V. /分，散，散布发扩 /distribute; spread; scatter (like seeds). By their use of the Internet, propagandists

have been able to disseminate their pet doctrines to new audiences around the globe.

dissent V. /反对/disagree. In the recent Supreme Court decision, Justice O'Connor dissented from the majority

opinion. also N.

dissertation N. /论文（博士生）/formal essay. In order to earn a graduate degree from many of our universities, a

candidate is frequently required to prepare a dissertation on some scholarly subject.

dissident ADJ. / 持不同意的；难于对付的见 /dissenting; rebellious. In the purge that followed the student

demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, the government hunted down the dissident students and their

supporters. also N.

dissimulate V. /伪装，做作，掩饰/pretend; conceal by feigning. She tried to dissimulate her grief by her exuberant

attitude.

dissipate V. /驱散，消散；浪费/squander; waste; scatter. He is a fine artist, but I fear he may dissipate his gifts if

he keeps wasting his time playing games.

dissolute ADJ. /放，霍纵挥 /loose in morals. The dissolute life led by the ancient Romans is indeed shocking.

dissolution N. /解散；终止；解体/breaking of a union; decay; termination. Which caused King Lear more suffering:

the dissolution of his kingdom into warring factions, or the dissolution of his aged, failing body?

dissonance N. /不和的（声音）谐 /discord. Composer Charles Ives often used dissonance-clashing or unresolved

chords-for special effects in his musical works.

dissuade V. /劝阻；使灰心/persuade not to do; discourage. Since Tom could not dissuade Huck from running

away from home, he decided to run away with him. dissuasion, N.

distant ADJ. /冷漠的；离的远 /reserved or aloof; cold in manner. His distant greeting made me feel unwelcome

from the start. (secondary meaning)

distend V. / 大；张扩扩 /expand; swell out. I can tell when he is under stress by the way the veins distend on his

forehead.

distill V. /蒸馏；萃取，提炼，提纯/extract the essence; purify; refine. A moonshiner distills mash into whiskey;

an epigrammatist distills thoughts into quips.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

distinction N. / 出名；出格 /honor; contrast; discrimination. A holder of the Medal of Honor, George served with

great distinction in World War II. He made a distinction, however, between World War II and Vietnam,

which he considered an immoral conflict.

distort V. /扭曲，歪曲/twist out of shape. It is difficult to believe the newspaper accounts of the riots because of

the way some reporters distort and exaggerate the actual events. distortion, N.

distraught ADJ. /使悲伤；使焦虑/upset; distracted by anxiety. The distraught parents frantically searched the ravine

for their lost child.

diurnal ADJ. /日常的/daily. A farmer cannot neglect his diurnal tasks at any time; cows, for example, must be

milked regularly.

diva N. /著名女歌唱家，天后；歌剧女主角/operatic singer; prima donna. Although world famous as a diva, she

did not indulge in fits of temperament. ..

diverge V. /多样的；各异的/vary; go in different directions from the same point. The spokes of the wheel diverge

from the hub.

divergent ADJ. / 分歧的 /differing; deviating. Since graduating from medical school, the two doctors have taken

divergent paths, one going on to become a nationally prominent surgeon, the other dedicating

himself to a small family practice in his home town. divergence, N.

diverse ADJ. /丰富多样的 /differing in some characteristics; various. The professor suggested diverse ways of

approaching the assignment and recommended that we choose one of them. diversity, N.

diversion N. / 转移；解闷/act of turning aside; pastime. After studying for several hours, he needed a diversion

from work. divert,V.

diversity N. /多样性 /variety; dissimilitude. The diversity of colleges in this country indicates that many levels of

ability are being cared for.

divest V. /剥夺/strip; deprive. He was divested of his power to act and could no longer govern. divestiture, N.

divine V. /运用直觉，超能力；预见 /perceive intuitively; foresee the future. Nothing infuriated Tom more than

Aunt Polly's ability to divine when he was telling the truth.

divulge V. /揭开，暴露/reveal. No lover of gossip, Charlotte would never divulge anything that a friend told her

in confidence.

docile ADJ. /驯服的，听话的；善良的/obedient; easily managed. As docile as he seems today, that old lion was

once a ferocious, snarling beast. docility, N.

doctrinaire ADJ. /教条的；顽固的 /unable to compromise about points of doctrine; dogmatic; unyielding. Weng had

hoped that the student-led democracy movement might bring about change in China, but the

repressive response of the doctrinaire hard-liners crushed his dreams of democracy.

doctrine N. / 教育；学说 /teachings, in general; particular principle (religious, legal, etc.) taught. He was so

committed to the doctrines of his faith that he was unable to evaluate them impartially.

document V. / 书面证明 /provide written evidence. She kept all the receipts from her business trip in order to

document her expenses for the firm. also N.

doff V. /脱/take off. A gentleman used to doff his hat to a lady.

dogged ADJ. / 顽固的；顽强的 /determined; stubborn. Les Miserables tells of Inspector Javert's long, dogged

pursuit of the criminal Jean Valjean.

doggerel N. /打油诗/poor verse. Although we find occasional snatches of genuine poetry in her work, most of her

writing is mere doggerel.

dogmatic ADJ. /独断的，教条的，固执的/opinionated; arbitrary; doctrinal. We tried to discourage Doug from being so

dogmatic, but never could convince him that his opinions might be wrong.

doldrums N. /忧郁，悲伤/blues; listlessness; slack period. Once the excitement of meeting her deadline was over,

she found herself in the doldrums.

doleful ADJ. /悲伤 /sorrowful. He found the doleful lamentations of the bereaved family emotionally disturbing

and he left as quickly as he could.

dolt N. / 愚蠢的人，蠢货 /stupid person. I thought I was talking to a mature audience; instead, I find myself

addressing a pack of dolts and idiots.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

domicile N. / 家 /home. Although his legal domicile was in New York City, his work kept him away from his

residence for many years. alsoV.

domineer V. /暴力压制/rule over tyrannically. Students prefer teachers who guide, not ones who domineer.

don V. /穿上/put on. When Clark Kent has to don his Superman outfit, he changes clothes in a convenient

phone booth.

doodle V. /涂鸦；浪费时间/scribble or draw aimlessly; waste time. Art's teachers scolded him when he doodled

all over the margins of his papers.

dormant ADJ. /睡着的；匿的隐 /sleeping; lethargic; latent. At fifty her longdormant ambition to write flared up once

more; within a year she had completed the first of her great historical novels.

dormer N. / 天窗 /window projecting from roof. In remodeling the attic into a bedroom, we decided that we

needed to put in dormers to provide sufficient ventilation for the new room.

dossier N. /档案，资料/file of documents on a subject. Ordered by J. Edgar Hoover to investigate the senator,

the FBI compiled a complete dossieron him.

dote V. /昏；溺爱聩 /be excessively fond of; show signs of mental decline. Not only grandmothers bore you

with stories about their brilliant grandchildren; grandfathers dote on the little rascals, too. Poor old Alf

clearly doted: the senile old dotard was past it; in fact, he was in his dotage.

douse V. / 浸泡；弄湿；弄灭/plunge into water; drench; extinguish. They doused each other with hoses and

water balloons.

dowdy ADJ. / 邋遢的；衣衫不整 /slovenly; untidy. She tried to change her dowdy image by buying a new

fashionable wardrobe.

downcast ADJ. /沮丧/disheartened; sad. Cheerful and optimistic by nature, Beth was never downcast despite the

difficulties she faced.

drab ADJ. /迟钝的；单调的/dull; lacking color; cheerless. The Dutch woman's drab winter coat contrasted with

the distinctive, colorful native costume she wore beneath it.

draconian ADJ. /极其严重/extremely severe. When the principal canceled the senior prom because some seniors

had been late to school that week, we thought the draconian punishment was far too harsh for such a

minor violation of the rules.

dregs N. /沉淀物；残渣/sediment; worthless residue. David poured the wine carefully to avoid stirring up the

dregs.

drivel N. / 胡言乱语；愚蠢 /nonsense; foolishness. Why do I have to spend my days listening to such idiotic

drivel? Drivel is related to dribble: think of a dribbling, driveling idiot.

droll ADJ. /滑稽可笑；离奇古怪，怪里怪气 /queer and amusing. He was a popular guest because his droll

anecdotes were always entertaining.

drone N. / 人；雄蜂闲 /idle person; male bee. Content to let his wife support him, the would-be writer was in

reality nothing but a drone.

drone V. /嗡嗡声；语气呆板的声音/talk dully; buzz or murmur like a bee. On a gorgeous day, who wants to be

stuck in a classroom listening to the teacher drone ?

dross N. /渣滓，废物/waste matter; worthless impurities. Many methods have been devised to separate the

valuable metal from the dross.

drudgery N. /苦差事，苦工/menial work. Cinderella's fairy godmother rescued her from a life of drudgery.

dubious ADJ. /可疑的/questionable; filled with doubt. Many critics of SAT I contend the test is of dubious worth.

Jay claimed he could get a perfect 1600 on SAT I, but Ellen was dubious: she knew he hadn't

cracked a book in three years.

ductile ADJ. /柔的，有性软韧 /malleable; flexible; pliable. Copper is an extremely ductile material: you can stretch

it into the thinnest of wires, bend it, even wind it into loops.

dulcet ADJ. /甜美的（声音）/sweet sounding. The dulcet sounds of the birds at dawn were soon drowned out by

the roar of traffic passing our motel.

dumbfound V. /使人惊讶/astonish. Egbert's perfect 1600 on his SAT I exam dumbfounded his classmates, who had

always found him to be perfectly dumb.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

dupe N. / 易被开涮的人 /someone easily fooled. While the gullible Watson often was made a dupe by

unscrupulous parties, Sherlock Holmes was far more difficult to fool. alsoV.

duplicity N. /奸诈，狡猾；伪善；两面三刀，两面派 /double-dealing; hypocrisy. When Tanya learned that Mark had

been two-timing her, she was furious at his duplicity.

Word List 16 duration-encroachment

duration N. / 持续时间 /length of time something lasts. Because she wanted the children to make a good

impression on the dinner guests, Mother promised them a treat if they'd behave for the duration of

the meal.

duress N. /（非法的）限制，关押/forcible restraint, especially unlawfully. The hostages were held under duress

until the prisoners' demands were met.

dutiful ADJ. / 恭敬的；尊重的 /respectful; obedient. When Mother told Billy to kiss Great-Aunt Hattie, the boy

obediently gave the old woman a dutiful peck on her cheek.

dwarf V. / 使看上去矮小 /cause to seem small. The giant redwoods and high cliffs dwarfed the elegant

Ahwahnee Hotel, making it appear a modest lodge rather than an imposing hostelry.

dwindle V. /缩水；减少/shrink; reduce. The food in the life boat gradually dwindled away to nothing; in the end,

they ate the ship's cook.

dynamic ADJ. /充活力的满 /energetic; vigorously active. The dynamic aerobics instructor kept her students on the

run; she was a little dynamo.

earthy ADJ. / 粗糙的；未加工的 /unrefined; coarse. His earthy remarks often embarrassed the women in his

audience.

ebb V. /衰退/recede; lessen. Sitting on the beach, Mrs. Dalloway watched the tide ebb: the waters receded,

drawing away from her as she sat there all alone. also N.

ebullient ADJ. /热情的，激动的/showing excitement; overflowing with enthusiasm. Amy's ebullient nature could not

be repressed; she' was always bubbling over with excitement. ebullience, N.

eccentric ADJ. /古怪的，奇怪的/irregular; odd; whimsical; bizarre. The comet veered dangerously close to the earth

in its eccentric orbit. People came up with some eccentric ideas for dealing with the emergency:

someone even suggested tieing a knot in the comet's tail!

eccentricity N. / 怪僻，古怪；特性 /oddity; idiosyncrasy. Some of his friends tried to account for his rudeness to

strangers as the eccentricity of genius.

ecclesiastic ADJ. / 神的职 /pertaining to the church. The minister donned his ecclesiastic garb and walked to the

pulpit. also N.

eclectic ADJ. /折衷的/composed of elements drawn from disparate sources. His style of interior decoration was

eclectic: bits and pieces of furnishings from widely divergent periods, strikingly juxtaposed to create a

unique decor. eclecticism, N.

eclipse V. / 超越；衰落；失色 /darken; extinguish; surpass. The new stock market high eclipsed the previous

record set in 1995.

ecologist N. / 生学家态 /a person concerned with the interrelationship between living organisms and their

environment. The ecologist was concerned that the new dam would upset the natural balance of the

creatures living in Glen Canyon.

economy N. /俭省节约的，经济的 /efficiency or conciseness in using something. Reading the epigrams of Pope, I

admire the economy of his verse: in few words he conveys worlds of meaning. (secondary meaning)

ecstasy N. / 全神注，入迷，高兴贯 /rapture; joy; any overpowering emotion. When Allison received her long-

hoped-for letter of acceptance from Harvard, she was in ecstasy. ecstatic,ADJ.

eddy N. /漩涡/swirling current of water, air, etc. The water in the tide pool was still, except for an occasional

eddy.

edict N. /法令，号令；布告/decree (especially issued by a sovereign); official command. The emperor issued

an edict decreeing that everyone should come see him model his magnificent new clothes.

edify V. /教导；启迪，陶冶/instruct; correct morally. Although his purpose was to edify and not to entertain his

audience, many of his listeners were amused rather than enlightened.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

eerie ADJ. /怪异的/weird. In that eerie setting, it was easy to believe in ghosts and other supernatural beings.

efface V. /抹掉/rub out. The coin had been handled so many times that its date had been effaced.

effectual ADJ. /有效的/able to produce a desired effect; valid. Medical researchers are concerned because of the

development of drug-resistant strains of bacteria; many once useful antibiotics are no longer effectual

in curing bacterial infections.

effervescence N. / 泡腾，沸腾；兴奋，活泼 /inner excitement or exuberance; bubbling from fermentation or

carbonation. Nothing depressed Sue for long; her natural eff ervescence soon reasserted itself. Soda

that loses its effervescence goes flat. effervescent, ADJ. effervesce,V.

efficacy N. / 功效/power to produce desired effect. The efficacy of this drug depends on the regularity of the

dosage. efficacious,ADJ.

effigy N. /假人（被人憎恨的，如秦桧）/dummy. The mob showed its irritation by hanging the judge in eff igy.

effrontery N. /厚颜无耻/shameless boldness. She had the effrontery to insult the guest.

effusive ADJ. / 激情澎湃的 /pouring forth; gushing. Her effusive manner of greeting her friends finally began to

irritate them. effusion, N.

egoism N. /自我中心，利己主义/excessive interest in one's self; belief that one should be interested in one's self

rather than in others. His egoism prevented him from seeing the needs of his colleagues.

egotistical ADJ. /极度自我中心；自以为是，逞能/excessively self-centered; self-important; conceited. Typical egotistical

remark: "But enough of this chit-chat about you and your little problems. Let's talk about what's really

important: Me!"

egregious ADJ. / 及其令人痛恨的，声名狼藉；令人吃惊的 /notorious; conspicuously bad or shocking. She was an

egregious liar; we all knew better than to believe a word she said. Ed's housekeeping was egregious:

he let his dirty dishes pile up so long that they were stuck together with last week's food.

egress N. /出口/exit. Barnum's sign "To the Egress" fooled many people who thought they were going to see

an animal and instead found themselves in the street.

ejaculation N. /迸出；惊叹/exclamation. He could not repress an ejaculation of surprise when he heard the news.

elaboration N. / ；复细节杂 /addition of details; intricacy. Tell what happened simply, without any elaboration.

elaborate,V.

elated ADJ. /过分高兴的；兴高采烈 /overjoyed; in high spirits. Grinning from ear to ear, Bonnie Blair was clearly

elated by her fifth Olympic gold medal. elation, N.

elegy N. /挽歌，悲歌/poem or song expressing lamentation. On the death of Edward King, Milton composed

the elegy "Lycidas." elegiacal,ADJ.

elicit V. /得出/draw out by discussion. The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot.

elixir N. /包治百病，万能药/cure-all; something invigorating. The news of her chance to go abroad acted on

her like an elixir.

ellipsis N. /省略/omission of words from a text. Sometimes an ellipsis can lead to a dangling modifier, as in the

sentence "Once dressed, you should refrigerate the potato salad."

elliptical ADJ. /椭圆的；有意模棱两可的/oval; ambiguous, either purposely or because key words have been left out.

An elliptical billiard ball wobbles because it is not perfectly round; an elliptical remark baffles because

it is not perfectly clear.

eloquence N. / 雄；修辞辩 /expressiveness; persuasive speech. The crowds were stirred by Martin Luther King's

eloquence. eloquent,ADJ.

elucidate V. /解释；启迪/explain; enlighten. He was called upon to elucidate the disputed points in his article.

elusive ADJ. /难懂的，难捉摸的；令人困惑的/evasive; baffling; hard to grasp. Trying to pin down exactly when the

contractors would be finished remodeling the house, Nancy was frustrated by their elusive replies.

elude,V.

emaciated ADJ. /瘦弱的，脆弱的/thin and wasted. His long period of starvation had left him emaciated.

emanate V. /散，出发发 /issue forth. A strong odor of sulphur emanated from the spring.

emancipate V. / 释放，解放 /set free. At first, the attempts of the Abolitionists to emancipate the slaves were

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

unpopular in New England as well as in the South.

embargo N. /禁运/ban on commerce or other activity. As a result of the embargo, trade with the colonies was at

a standstill.

embark V. /开始旅程，开始，登机，上船，上车 /commence; go on board a boat or airplane; begin a journey. In

devoting herself to the study of gorillas, Dian Fossey embarked on a course of action that was to cost

her her life.

embed V. /封装，嵌入，插入/enclose; place in something. Tales of actual historical figures like King Alfred have

become embedded in legends.

embellish V. /装饰/adorn; ornament. The costume designer embellished the leading lady's ball gown with yards

and yards of ribbon and lace.

embezzlement N. /偷窃，侵占/stealing. The bank teller confessed his embezzlement of the funds.

embody V. / 具体化；包含，收录 /personify; make concrete; incorporate. Cheering on his rival Mark McGwire's

efforts to break Roger Maris's home run record, Sammy Sosa embodied the spirit of true

sportsmanship.

embrace V. /拥抱；接受，包含/hug; adopt or espouse; accept readily; encircle; include. Clasping Maid Marian in

his arms, Robin Hood embraced her lovingly. In joining the outlaws in Sherwood Forest, she had

openly embraced their cause.

embroider V. /镶边，绣花；添油加醋 /decorate with needlework; ornament with fancy or fictitious details. For her

mother's birthday, Beth embroidered a lovely design on a handkerchief. When asked what made her

late getting home, Jo embroidered her account with tales of runaway horses and rescuing people

from a ditch. embroidery, N.

embroil V. / 连累，牵连；使其混乱，麻烦缠身 /throw into confusion; involve in strife; entangle. He became

embroiled in the heated discussion when he tried to arbitrate the dispute.

embryonic ADJ. /胚胎的；未开发的，原始的 /undeveloped; rudimentary. The evil of class and race hatred must be

eliminated while it is still in an embryonic state; otherwise, it may grow to dangerous proportions.

emend V. correct; correct by a critic. The critic emended the book by selecting the passages which

he thought most appropriate to the text.

emendation N. /改进；修订/correction of errors; improvement. Please initial all the emendations you have made in

this contract.

eminent ADJ. /高的/high; lofty. After his appointment to this eminent position, he seldom had time for his former

friends.

emissary N. / 代理；信使，使者 /agent; messenger. The secretary of state was sent as the president's special

emissary to the conference on disarmament.

emollient N. / 缓和，安抚 /soothing or softening remedy. The nurse applied an emollientto the inflamed area.

alsoADJ.

empathy N. / 移情作用，心入 /ability to identify with another's feelings, ideas, etc. What made Ann such a fine

counselor was her empathy, her ability to put herself in her client's place and feel his emotions as if

they were her own. empathize,V.

empirical ADJ. /经验主义/based on experience. He distrusted hunches and intuitive flashes; he placed his reliance

entirely on empirical data.

emulate V. /仿效；抗衡 /imitate; rival. In a brief essay, describe a person you admire, someone whose virtues

you would like to emulate.

enamored ADJ. /爱情的；坠入爱河的/in love. Narcissus became enamored of his own beauty.

encipher V. / 编码/encode; convert a message into code. One of Bond's first lessons was how to encipher the

messages he sent to Miss Moneypenny so that none of his other lady friends could decipher them.

enclave N. /飞地/territory enclosed within an alien land. The Vatican is an independent enclave in Italy.

encomium N. /赞美之词/high praise; eulogy. Uneasy with the encomiums expressed by his supporters, Tolkien felt

unworthy of such high praise.

encompass V. /包围/surround. Although we were encompassed by enemy forces, we were cheerful for we were

well stocked and could withstand a siege until our allies joined us.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

encroachment N. / “ ”侵蚀；和平演变 /gradual intrusion. The encroachment of the factories upon the

neighborhood lowered the value of the real estate.

Word List 17 encumber-etymology

encumber V. / 拖累，负担 /burden. Some people encumber themselves with too much luggage when they take

short trips.

endearment N. /爱慕；爱的表示/fond statement. Your gifts and endearments cannot make me forget your

earlier insolence.

endemic ADJ. /地方的；小范围内流行/prevailing among a specific group of people or in a specific area or country.

This disease is endemic in this part of the world; more than 80 percent of the population are at one

time or another affected by it.

endorse V. /认可，默许；支持/approve; support. Everyone waited to see which one of the rival candidates for the

city council the mayor would endorse. (secondary meaning) endorsement, N.

enduring ADJ. /持久的；不朽的/lasting; surviving. Keats believed in the enduring power of great art, which would

outlast its creators' brief lives.

energize V. /鼓舞/invigorate; make forceful and active. Rather than exhausting Maggie, dancing energized her.

enervate V. /使变弱/weaken. She was slow to recover from her illness; even a short walk to the window would

enervate her.

enfranchise V. / 赋予公民权（投票权） /to admit to the rights of citizenship (especially the right to vote). Although

Blacks were enfranchised shortly after the Civil War, women did not receive the right to vote until

1920.

engage V. /吸引；雇；答；合；婚佣应结订 /attract; hire; pledge oneself; confront. "Your case has engaged my

interest, my lord," said Holmes. "You may engage my services."

engaging ADJ. / 有魅力的，有吸引力的 /charming; attractive. Everyone liked Nancy's pleasant manners and

engaging personality.

engender V. /产生，导致/cause; produce. To receive praise for real accomplishments engenders self-confidence

in a child.

engross V. /独占/occupy fully. John was so engrossed in his studies that he did not hear his mother call.

enhance V. /增加；改进 /increase; improve. You can enhance your chances of being admitted to the college of

your choice by learning to write well; an excellent essay can enhance any application.

enigma N. / 谜 /puzzle; mystery. "What do women want?" asked Dr. Sigmund Freud. Their behavior was an

enigma to him.

enigmatic ADJ. /朦胧的；谜一样的/obscure; puzzling. Many have sought to fathom the enigmatic smile of the Mona

Lisa.

enmity N. /憎恨；仇恨/ill will; hatred. At Camp David, President Carter labored to bring an end to the enmity that

prevented the peaceful coexistence of Egypt and Israel.

ennui N. /厌倦/boredom. The monotonous routine of hospital life induced a feeling of ennui that made him

moody and irritable.

enormity N. /巨大的，严重的，极恶劣/hugeness (in a bad sense). He did not realize the enormity of his crime until

he saw what suffering he had caused.

enrapture V. / 使其狂喜 /please intensely. The audience was enraptured by the freshness of the voices and the

excellent orchestration.

ensconce V. /安排妥当/settle comfortably. Now that their children were ensconced safely in the private school, the

jet-setting parents decided to leave for Europe.

ensemble N. / 全体；歌舞团；套装 /group of (supporting) players; organic unity; costume. As a dancer with the

Oakland Ballet, Benjamin enjoyed being part of the ensemble. Having acted with one another for well

over a decade, the cast members have developed a true sense of ensemble: They work together

seamlessly. Mitzi wore a charming two-piece ensemble designed by Donna Karan.

entail V. /要求，需要；涉到牵 /require; necessitate; involve. Building a collegelevel vocabulary will entail some

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

work on your part.

enterprising ADJ. /有魄力 /full of initiative. By coming up with fresh ways to market the company's products, Mike

proved himself to be an enterprising businessman.

enthrall V. /俘获/capture; enslave. From the moment he saw her picture, he was enthralled by her beauty.

entice V. /吸引；引诱/lure; attract; tempt. She always tried to entice her baby brother into mischief.

entitlement N. /权利/right to claim something; right to benefits. While Bill was entitled to use a company car while

he worked for the firm, the company's lawyers questioned his entitlement to the vehicle once he'd quit

his job.

entity N. / 实体 /real being. As soon as the Charter was adopted, the United Nations became an entity and

had to be considered as a factor in world diplomacy.

entomology N. / 昆虫学 /study of insects. Kent found entomology the most annoying part of his biology course;

studying insects bugged him.

entourage N. / 随从，随行人员 /group of attendants; retinue. Surrounded by the members of his entourage, the

mayor hurried into city hall, shouting a brusque "No comment!" to the reporters lining the steps.

entrance V. /使其着迷；使其神志恍惚/put under a spell; carry away with emotion. Shafts of sunlight on a wall could

entrance her and leave her spellbound.

entreat V. /恳求/plead; ask earnestly. She entreated her father to let her stay out till midnight.

entrepreneur N. / 商人，企家，承包人业 /businessman; contractor. Opponents of our present tax program

argue that it discourages entrepreneurs from trying new fields of business activity.

enumerate V. /枚举/list; mention one by one. Huck hung his head in shame as Miss Watson enumerated his many

flaws.

enunciate V. /阐明/speak distinctly. Stop mumbling! How will people understand you if you do not enunciate?

eon N. /时代/long period of time; an age. It has taken eons for our civilization to develop.

ephemeral ADJ. /朝生暮死，短暂，短命/short-lived; fleeting. The mayfly is an ephemeral creature: its adult life lasts

little more than a day.

epic N. / 史诗；剧作 /long heroic poem, or similar work of art. Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai is an epic

portraying the struggle of seven warriors to destroy a band of robbers. alsoADJ.

epicure N. / 老饕；享乐主义者 /connoisseur of food and drink. Epicures frequent this restaurant because it

features exotic wines and dishes. epicurean,ADJ.

epigram N. / 警句；讽刺民谣 /witty thought or saying, usually short. Poor Richard's epigrams made Benjamin

Franklin famous.

epilogue N. / 尾声；收场白/short speech at conclusion of dramatic work. The audience was so disappointed in

the play that many did not remain to hear the epilogue.

episodic ADJ. /插曲式的/loosely connected; divided into incidents. Though he tried to follow the plot of Gravity's

Rainbow, John found the novel too episodic; he enjoyed individual passages, but had trouble

following the work as a whole.

epistolary ADJ. / 书信的 /consisting of letters. Mark Harris's Wake Up, Stupid! is a modern epistolary novel that

uses letters, telegrams, and newspaper clippings to tell the hero's story. The movie You've Got Mail

tells a story using e-mail; does that make it an e-pistolary movie? epistle, N.

epitaph N. /墓志铭，挽联/inscription in memory of a dead person. In his will, he dictated the epitaph he wanted

placed on his tombstone.

epithet N. /绰号/word or phrase characteristically used to describe a person or thing. So many kings of France

were named Charles that you could tell them apart only by their epithets: Charles the Wise was

someone far different from Charles the Fat.

epitome N. / 典型，摘要 /perfect example or embodiment. Singing "I am the very model of a modern Major-

General," in The Pirates of Penzance, Major-General Stanley proclaimed himself the epitome of an

officer and a gentleman.

epoch N. /时代/period of time. The glacial epoch lasted for thousands of years.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

equable ADJ. /平静的，均衡的，定的稳 /tranquil; steady; uniform. After the hot summers and cold winters of New

England, he found the climate of the West Indies equable and pleasant.

equanimity N. / 镇定 /calmness of temperament; composure. Even the inevitable strains of caring for an ailing

mother did not disturb Bea's equanimity.

equestrian N. /骑师 /rider on horseback. These paths in the park are reserved for equestrians and their steeds.

alsoADJ.

equilibrium N. /平衡/balance. After the divorce, he needed some time to regain his equilibrium.

equine ADJ. /似马的/resembling a horse. His long, bony face had an equine look to it.

equinox N. /昼夜平分点，春分，秋分 /period of equal days and nights; the beginning of Spring and Autumn. The

vernal equinox is usually marked by heavy rainstorms.

equitable ADJ. /公平的，公允的/fair; impartial. I am seeking an equitable solution to this dispute, one that will be

fair and acceptable to both sides.

equity N. /公平，公正/fairness; justice. Our courts guarantee equity to all.

equivocal ADJ. /蓄意误导；含混，模棱两可/ambiguous; intentionally misleading. Rejecting the candidate's equivocal

comments on tax reform, the reporters pressed him to state clearly where he stood on the issue.

equivocate,V.

equivocate V. / 撒谎；误导 /lie; mislead; attempt to conceal the truth. The audience saw through his attempts to

equivocate on the subject under discussion and ridiculed his remarks.

erode V. /侵蚀 /eat away. The limestone was eroded by the dripping water until only a thin shell remained.

erosion, N.

erotic ADJ. /激情的 /pertaining to passionate love. The erotic passages in this novel should be removed as

they are merely pornographic.

erratic ADJ. /奇怪的；不可预测的/odd; unpredictable. Investors become anxious when the stock market appears

erratic.

erroneous ADJ. /错误/mistaken; wrong. I thought my answer was correct, but it was erroneous.

erudite ADJ. /博学的 /learned; scholarly. Though his fellow students thought him erudite, Paul knew he would

have to spend many years in serious study before he could consider himself a scholar.

escapade N. /胡闹；奇怪、出格的行为/prank; flighty conduct. The headmaster could not regard this latest escapade

as a boyish joke and expelled the young man.

escapism N. /逃避现实，纸醉金迷/avoiding reality by diverting oneself with amusements. Before you criticize her

constant reading as mere escapism, note how greatly her vocabulary has improved since she began

spending her days buried in books.

eschew V. / 避免 /avoid. Hoping to present himself to his girlfriend as a totally reformed character, he tried to

eschew all the vices, especially chewing tobacco and drinking bathtub gin.

esoteric ADJ. / 难以理解的，深奥的 /hard to understand; known only to the chosen few. The New Yorker short

stories often include esoteric allusions to obscure people and events: the implication is, if you are in

the in-crowd, you'll get the reference; if you come from Cleveland, you won't.

espionage N. /间谍行为/Spying. In order to maintain its power, the government developed a system of espionage

that penetrated every household.

espouse V. /接受，支持/adopt; support. She was always ready to espouse a worthy cause.

esteem V. /尊重；估价/respect; value. Jill esteemed Jack's taste in music, but she deplored his taste in clothes.

estranged ADJ. /分离的；孤立的/separated; alienated. The estranged wife sought a divorce. estrangement, N.

ethereal ADJ. /轻的，空气的；像天堂的 /light; heavenly; unusually refined. In Shakespeare's The Tempest, the

spirit Ariel is an ethereal creature, too airy and unearthly for our mortal world.

ethnic ADJ. /种族的 /relating to races. Intolerance between ethnic groups is deplorable and usually is based

on lack of information.

ethos N. /社会精神特，思潮，气；气质风质/underlying character of a culture, group, etc. Seeing how tenderly

ordinary Spaniards treated her small daughter made author Barbara Kingsolver aware of how greatly

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

children were valued in the Spanish ethos.

etymology N. /语源学/study of word parts. A knowledge of etymology can help you on many English tests: if you

know what the roots and prefixes mean, you can determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.

Word List 18 eulogy-faculty

eulogy N. /颂词；赞美词/expression of praise, often on the occasion of someone's death. Instead of delivering

a spoken eulogy at Genny's memorial service, Jeff sang a song he had written in her honor.

euphemism N. /委婉的表达/mild expression in place of an unpleasant one. The expression "he passed away" is a

euphemism for "he died."

euphonious ADJ. / 悦耳的 /pleasing in sound. Euphonious even when spoken, the Italian language is particularly

pleasing to the ear when sung. euphony. N.

euphoria N. /非常愉快；病态的愉快，愉悦症/feeling of great happiness and well-being (sometimes exaggerated).

Delighted with her SAT scores, sure that the university would accept her, Allison was filled with

euphoria. euphoric,ADJ.

evanescent ADJ. /消散的；凋零的 /fleeting; vanishing. Brandon's satisfaction in his new job was evanescent, for he

immediately began to notice its many drawbacks. evanescence, N.

evasive ADJ. /逃避的/not frank; eluding. Your evasive answers convinced the judge that you were withholding

important evidence. evade,V.

evenhanded ADJ. /公平的/impartial; fair. Do men and women receive evenhanded treatment from their teachers, or,

as recent studies suggest, do teachers pay more attention to male students than to females?

evince V. /表示/show clearly. When he tried to answer the questions, he evinced his ignorance of the subject

matter.

evocative ADJ. /唤起的/tending to call up (emotions, memories). Scent can be remarkably evocative: the aroma of

pipe tobacco evokes the memory of my father; a whiff of talcum powder calls up images of my

daughter as a child.

ewe N. / 母羊 /female sheep. The flock of sheep was made up of dozens of ewes, together with only a

handful of rams.

exacerbate V. /恶化，加剧/worsen; embitter. The latest bombing exacerbated England's already existing bitterness

against the IRA, causing the prime minister to break off the peace talks abruptly.

exacting ADJ. / 苛刻的 /extremely demanding. Cleaning the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was an exacting task,

one that demanded extremely meticulous care on the part of the restorers. exaction, N.

exalt V. / 晋升；赞扬 /raise in rank or dignity; praise. The actor Alec Guinness was exalted to the rank of

knighthood by the queen.

exasperate V. /激怒/vex. Johnny often exasperates his mother with his pranks.

exceptionable ADJ. / 不可的，可反对的 /objectionable. Do you find the punk rock band Green Day a highly

exceptionable, thoroughly distasteful group, or do you think they are exceptionally talented

performers?

excerpt N. / 摘抄，摘录/selected passage (written or musical). The cinematic equivalent of an excerpt from a

novel is a clip from a film. alsoV.

excise V. /去除/cut away; cut out. When you excise the dead and dying limbs of a tree, you not only improve

its appearance but also enhance its chances of bearing fruit. excision. N.

exclaim V. /呼喊，大叫 /cry out suddenly. "Watson! Behind you!" Holmes exclaimed, seeing the assassin hurl

himself on his friend.

excoriate V. /责难，挖苦，批判；揭露/scold with biting harshness; strip the skin off. Seeing the holes in Bill's new

pants, his mother furiously excoriated him for ruining his good clothes. The tight, starched collar

chafed and excoriated his neck, rubbing it raw.

exculpate V. /开脱，洗脱/clear from blame. He was exculpated of the crime when the real criminal confessed.

execrable ADJ. /非常糟糕的/very bad. The anecdote was in such execrable taste that it revolted the audience.

execute V. /执行，完成/put into effect; carry out. The choreographer wanted to see how well she could execute

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

a pirouette. (secondary meaning) execution, N.

exegesis N. /解释，注解，通译 /explanation; interpretation, especially of a biblical text. The minister based her

sermon on her exegesis of a difficult passage from the book of Job. exegetical,ADJ.

exemplary ADJ. /出色的；典范的；（杀鸡儆猴的）例子/serving as a model; outstanding. At commencement the dean

praised Ellen for her exemplary behavior as class president.

exemplify V. /作为典型；具体化/serve as an example of; embody. For a generation of balletgoers, Rudolf Nureyev

exemplified the ideal of masculine grace.

exempt ADJ. / 被免除的 /not subject to a duty, obligation. Because of his flat feet, Foster was exempt from

serving in the armed forces. alsoV.

exertion N. /努力，尽力 /effort; expenditure of much physical work. The exertion spent in unscrewing the rusty

bolt left her exhausted.

exhaustive ADJ. / 彻底的，完全的 /thorough; comprehensive. We have made an exhaustive study of all published

SAT tests and are happy to share our research with you.

exhilarating ADJ. / 爽快的，使人愉快的 /invigorating and refreshing; cheering. Though some of the hikers found

tramping through the snow tiring, Jeffrey found the walk on the cold, crisp day exhilarating.

exhort V. /劝诫，忠告/urge. The evangelist exhorted all the sinners in his audience to reform. exhortation, N.

exhume V. /出土，发掘 /dig out of the ground; remove from the grave. Could evidence that might identify the

serial killer have been buried with his victim? To answer this question, the police asked the authorities

for permission to exhume the victim's body.

exigency N. /紧急情况/urgent situation. In this exigency, we must look for aid from our allies.

exodus N. /离开，程启 /departure. The exodus from the hot and stuffy city was particularly noticeable on Friday

evenings.

exonerate V. / 开脱，免罪 /acquit; exculpate. The defense team feverishly sought fresh evidence that might

exonerate their client.

exorbitant ADJ. /过度的/excessive. The people grumbled at his exorbitant prices but paid them because he had a

monopoly.

exorcise V. /驱邪/drive out evil spirits. By incantation and prayer, the medicine man sought to exorcise the evil

spirits which had taken possession of the young warrior.

exotic ADJ. /陌生的，外来的，奇异的，异国情调 /not native; strange. Because of his exotic headdress, he was

followed in the streets by small children who laughed at his strange appearance.

expansive ADJ. / 张的；爽快的；广的扩阔 /outgoing and sociable; broad and extensive; able to increase in size. Mr.

Fezziwig was in an expansive humor, cheerfully urging his guests to join in the Christmas feast.

Looking down on his expansive paunch, he sighed: if his belly expanded any further, he'd need an

expansive waistline for his pants.

expatriate N. / 放逐；被放逐者 /exile; someone who has withdrawn from his native land. Henry James was an

American expatriate who settled in England.

expedient ADJ. /合适的，有利的；策略性的/suitable; practical; politic. A pragmatic politician, he was guided by what

was expedient rather than by what was ethical. expediency, N.

expedite V. /加速，催促/hasten. Because we are on a tight schedule, we hope you will be able to expedite the

delivery of our order. The more expeditious your response is, the happier we'll be.

expenditure N. /支出，花费/payment or expense; output. When you are operating on an expense account, you must

keep receipts for all your expenditures. If you don't save your receipts, you won't get repaid without

the expenditure of a lot of energy arguing with the firm's accountants.

expertise N. /专业知识，技能/specialized knowledge; expert skill. Although she was knowledgeable in a number of

fields, she was hired for her particular expertise in computer programming.

expiate V. /赎罪/make amends for (a sin). He tried to expiate his crimes by a full confession to the authorities.

expletive N. / 感叹词；咒骂 /interjection; profane oath. The sergeant's remarks were filled with expletives that

offended the new recruits.

explicate V. /解释，澄清/explain; interpret; clarify. Harry Levin explicated James Joyce's often bewildering novels

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

with such clarity that even Finnegan's Wake seemed comprehensible to his students.

explicit ADJ. /清晰的；坦率的 /totally clear; definite; outspoken. Don't just hint around that you're dissatisfied: be

explicit about what's bugging you.

exploit N. / 壮举 /deed or action, particularly a brave deed. Raoul Wallenberg was noted for his exploits in

rescuing Jews from Hitler's forces.

exploit V. / 开，开拓发 /make use of, sometimes unjustly. Cesar Chavez fought attempts to exploit migrant

farmworkers in California. exploitation, N. exploitative,ADJ.

expository ADJ. /解释性的/explanatory; serving to explain. The manual that came with my VCR was no masterpiece

of expository prose: its explanations were so garbled that I couldn't even figure out how to rewind a

tape. exposition, N.

exposure N. /曝光，揭露；暴露（于疾病、恶劣的环境等）的状态/risk, particularly of being exposed to disease or to the

elements; unmasking; act of laying something open. Exposure to sun and wind had dried out her hair

and weathered her face. She looked so changed that she no longer feared exposure as the notorious

Irene Adler, onetime antagonist of Sherlock Holmes.

expropriate V. /没收，剥夺，征用 /take possession of. He questioned the government's right to expropriate his land

to create a wildlife preserve.

expunge V. /取消，去除，排除/cancel; remove. If you behave, I will expunge this notation from your record.

expurgate V. /清除，净化/clean; remove offensive parts of a book. The editors felt that certain passages in the

book had to be expurgated before it could be used in the classroom.

extant ADJ. / 现存的 /still in existence. Although the book is out of print, some copies are still extant.

Unfortunately, all of them are in libraries or private collections; none are for sale.

extent N. /范；程度围 /degree; magnitude; scope. What is the extentof the patient's injuries? If they are not too

extensive, we can treat him on an outpatient basis.

extenuate V. /弱化；减轻 /weaken; mitigate. It is easier for us to extenuate our own shortcomings than those of

others.

extol V. /赞美/praise; glorify. The president extolled the astronauts, calling them the pioneers of the Space

Age.

extort V. /敲诈，勒索/wring from; get money by threats, etc. The blackmailer extorted money from his victim.

extradition N. / 引渡 /surrender of prisoner by one state to another. The lawyers opposed the extradition of their

client on the grounds that for more than five years he had been a model citizen.

extraneous ADJ. / 肤浅的，不重要的 /not essential; superfluous. No wonder Ted can't think straight! His mind is so

cluttered up with extraneous trivia, he can't concentrate on the essentials.

extrapolation N. / 推测，推断 /projection; conjecture. Based on their extrapolation from the results of the

primaries on Super Tuesday, the networks predicted that Bob Dole would be the Republican

candidate for the presidency. extrapolate,V.

extricate V. /解脱，放出，释放/free; disentangle. Icebreakers were needed to extricate the trapped whales from

the icy floes that closed them in.

extrinsic ADJ. /外围的，不重要的；外来的/external; not essential; extraneous. A critically acclaimed extrinsic feature of

the Chrysler Building is its ornate spire. The judge would not admit the testimony, ruling that it was

extrinsic to the matter at hand.

extrovert N. /性格外向的人/person interested mostly in external objects and actions. A good salesman is usually

an extrovert, who likes to mingle with people.

extrude V. /挤压，逼/force or push out. Much pressure is required to extrude these plastics.

exuberance N. / 富得流油的；精力充沛；浪费，过度 /overflowing abundance; joyful enthusiasm; flamboyance;

lavishness. I was bowled over by the exuberance of Amy's welcome. What an enthusiastic greeting!

exude V. /卸下，流出 /discharge; give forth. We get maple syrup from the sap that exudes from the trees in

early spring. exudation, N.

exult V. /高兴，兴高采烈/rejoice. We exulted when our team won the victory.

fabricate V. /制造；造（言）编谎 /build; lie. If we fabricate the buildings in this project out of standardized sections,

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

we can reduce construction costs considerably. Because of Jack's tendency to fabricate, Jill had

trouble believing a word he said.

facade N. /正面的；表面的，肤浅的 /front (of building); superficial or false appearance. The ornate facade of the

church was often photographed by tourists, who never bothered to walk around the building to view

its other sides. Susan seemed super-confident, but that was just a facade she put on to hide her

insecurity.

facet N. /（宝石的）琢面；方面/small plane surface (of a gem); a side. The stonecutter decided to improve the

rough diamond by providing it with several facets.

facetious ADJ. /不合宜的玩笑；幽默时 /joking (often inappropriately); humorous. I'm serious about this project; I

don't need any facetious, smartalecky cracks about do-gooder little rich girls.

facile ADJ. /充足的；容易完成的；肤浅的/easily accomplished; ready or fluent; superficial. Words came easily to

Jonathan: he was a facile 　 speaker and prided himself on being ready to make a speech at a

moment's notice.

facilitate V. / 促进；帮助；使变容易 /help bring about; make less difficult. Rest and proper nourishment should

facilitate the patient's recovery.

facsimile N. /复制品/COPY. Many museums sell facsimiles of the works of art on display.

faction N. / 派别；内讧；纠纷 /party; clique; dissension. The quarrels and bickering of the two small factions

within the club disturbed the majority of the members.

faculty N. /才能，教工职员 /mental or bodily powers; teaching staff. As he grew old, Professor Twiggly feared he

might lose his faculties and become unfit to teach. However, he had tenure: whether or not he was in

full possession of his faculties, the school couldn't kick him off the faculty.

Word List 19 fallacious-flinch

fallacious ADJ. / 假的；导的误 /false; misleading. Paradoxically, fallacious reasoning does not always yield

erroneous results: even though your logic may be faulty, the answer you get may nevertheless be

correct. fallacy, N.

fallible ADJ. /容易犯的错 /liable to err. I know I am fallible, but I feel confident that I am right this time.

fallow ADJ. / 休耕地；潜伏的；不活跃的 /plowed but not sowed; uncultivated. Farmers have learned that it is

advisable to permit land to lie fallow every few years.

falter V. /犹豫；踌躇/hesitate. When told to dive off the high board, she did not falter, but proceeded at once.

fanaticism N. / 狂热的，盲目的 /excessive zeal; extreme devotion to a belief or cause. When Islamic

fundamentalists demanded the death of Salman Rushdie because his novel questioned their faith,

world opinion condemned them for their fanaticism.

fancy N. /爱好；奇特；想象/notion; whim; inclination. Martin took a fancy to paint his toenails purple.

Assuming he would outgrow such fanciful behavior, his parents ignored his fancy feet. alsoADJ.

fanfare N. /号角声/call by bugles or trumpets. The exposition was opened with a fanfare of trumpets and the

firing of cannon.

farce N. / 闹剧；嘲笑 /broad comedy; mockery. Nothing went right; the entire interview degenerated into a

farce. farcical,ADJ.

fastidious ADJ. /挑剔的；难伺候的/difficult to please; squeamish. Bobby was such a fastidious eater that he would

eat a sandwich only if his mother first cut off every scrap of crust.

fatalism N. /宿命论/belief that events are determined by forces beyond one's control. With fatalism, he accepted

the hardships that beset him. fatalistic,ADJ.

fathom V. /领会；调查，测量/comprehend; investigate. I find his motives impossible to fathom; in fact, I'm totally

clueless about what goes on in his mind.

fatuous ADJ. /愚蠢的；不可理的；不理智的喻 /foolish; inane. He is far too intelligent to utter such fatuous remarks.

fauna N. / 动物志 /animals of a period or region. The scientist could visualize the fauna of the period by

examining the skeletal remains and the fossils.

fawning ADJ. / 奉承 /courting favor by cringing and flattering. She was constantly surrounded by a group of

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

fawning admirers who hoped to win some favor. fawn,V.

faze V. /折磨，打击/disconcert; dismay. No crisis could faze the resourceful hotel manager.

feasible ADJ. /可行的/practical. Is it feasible to build a new stadium for the Yankees on New York's West Side?

Without additional funding, the project is clearly unrealistic.

fecundity N. /丰饶 /fertility; fruitfulness. The fecundity of his mind is illustrated by the many vivid images in his

poems.

feign V. /假装；捏造/pretend. Lady Macbeth feigned illness although she was actually healthy.

feint N. /假的，淡的，不明的；佯攻鲜 /trick; shift; sham blow. The boxer was fooled by his opponent's feint and

dropped his guard. alsoV.

felicitous ADJ. /措辞巧妙的；精巧的/apt; suitably expressed; well chosen. He was famous for his felicitous remarks

and was called upon to serve as master-of-ceremonies at many a banquet. felicity, N.

felicity N. / 欢乐；适当 /happiness; appropriateness (of a remark, choice, etc.). She wrote a note to the

newlyweds wishing them great felicity in their wedded life.

fell ADJ. /凶猛的，致命的/cruel; deadly. The newspapers told of the tragic spread of the fell disease.

fell V. /放倒，打倒/cut or knock down; bring down (with a missile). Crying "Timber!" Paul Bunyan felled the

mighty redwood tree. Robin Hood loosed his arrow and felled the king's deer.

felon N. /重罪犯/person convicted of a grave crime. A convicted felon loses the right to vote.

feral ADJ. /野生的，未驯服的 /not domestic; wild. Abandoned by their owners, dogs may revert to their feral

state, roaming the woods in packs.

ferment N. /激怒；挑起骚动、暴乱/agitation; commotion. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, much of Eastern

Europe was in a state of ferment.

ferret V. /侦查；搜出；赶出/drive or hunt out of hiding. She ferreted out their secret.

fervent ADJ. /炙热的/ardent; hot. She felt that the fervent praise was excessive and somewhat undeserved.

fervid ADJ. /炙热的/ardent. Her fervid enthusiasm inspired all of us to undertake the dangerous mission.

fervor N. /热情；激情/glowing ardor; intensity of feeling. At the protest rally, the students cheered the strikers

and booed the dean with equal fervor.

fester V. /使溃烂，化脓/rankle; produce irritation or resentment. Joe's insult festered in Anne's mind for days,

and made her too angry to speak to him.

festive ADJ. /欢乐；庆祝/joyous; celebratory. Their wedding in the park was a festive occasion.

fetid ADJ. /恶臭的/malodorous. The neglected wound became fetid.

fetter V. / /shackle. The prisoner was fettered to the wall.

fiasco N. /彻底失败/total failure. Our ambitious venture ended in a fiasco and we were forced to flee.

fickle ADJ. /变化无常的；薄情的/changeable; faithless. As soon as Romeo saw Juliet, he forgot all about his old

girlfriend Rosaline. Was Romeo fickle?

fictitious ADJ. /想象的/imaginary. Although this book purports to be a biography of George Washington, many of

the incidents are fictitious.

fidelity N. / 忠诚 /loyalty. A dog's fidelity to its owner is one of the reasons why that animal is a favorite

household pet.

figment N. / 发明；臆造的事务/invention; imaginary thing. That incident never took place; it is a figment of your

imagination.

figurative ADJ. /比喻/not literal, but metaphorical; using a figure of speech. "To lose one's marbles" is a figurative

expression; if you're told that Jack has lost his marbles, no one expects you to rush out to buy him a

replacement set.

figurine N. / 小雕像 /small ornamental statuette. In The Maltese Falcon, Sam Spade was hired to trace the

missing figurine of a black bird.

filament N. /灯丝；精细的织物或线 /fine thread or fiber; threadlike structure within a light bulb. A ray of sunlight

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

illuminated the filaments of the spider web, turning the web into a net of gold.

filch V. /偷/steal. The boys filched apples from the fruit stand.

filial ADJ. /子女的 /pertaining to a son or daughter. Many children forget their filial obligations and disregard

the wishes of their parents.

filibuster V. /（表篇演来）阻法案通发长讲挠过 /to block legislation by making long speeches. Even though we

disapproved of Senator Foghorn's political goals, we were impressed by his ability to filibuster end-

lessly to keep an issue from coming to a vote.

finale N. /结论，结尾，结局 /conclusion. It is not until we reach the finale of this play that we can understand

the author's message.

finesse N. /精密的技巧 /delicate skill. The finesse and adroitness with which the surgeon wielded her scalpel

impressed all the observers in the operating room.

finicky ADJ. /过分讲究；鸡毛蒜皮 /too particular; fussy. The little girl was finicky about her food, leaving over

anything that wasn't to her taste.

firebrand N. /总惹麻烦的人，惹事生非者，捣乱人 /hothead: troublemaker. The police tried to keep track of all the

local firebrands when the President came to town.

fissure N. /裂；分歧缝 /crevice. The mountain climbers secured footholds in tiny fissures in the rock.

fitful ADJ. /断断；歇续续间 /spasmodic; intermittent. After several fitful attempts, he decided to postpone the

start of the project until he felt more energetic.

flabbergasted ADJ. /大吃一惊；目瞪口呆 /astounded; astonished; overcome with surprise. In the film Flubber,

the hero invents a remarkable substance whose amazing properties leave his coworkers

flabbergasted. flabbergast,V.

flaccid ADJ. / 弱的；无活力的软 /flabby. His sedentary life had left him with flaccid muscles.

flag V. /萎缩；衰退/droop; grow feeble. When the opposing hockey team scored its third goal only minutes

into the first quarter, the home team's spirits flagged. flagging,ADJ.

flagrant ADJ. / 非常坏的；残忍的；恶名昭著的 /conspicuously wicked; blatant; outrageous. The governor's

appointment of his brother-in-law to the State Supreme Court was a flagrant violation of the state laws

against nepotism (favoritism based on kinship).

flair N. / 才能 /talent. She has an uncanny flair for discovering new artists before the public has become

aware of their existence.

flamboyant ADJ. / 华丽的 /ornate. Modern architecture has discarded the flamboyant trimming on buildings and

emphasizes simplicity of line.

flaunt V. /招摇；炫耀/display ostentatiously. Mae West saw nothing wrong with showing off her considerable

physical charms, saying, "Honey, if you've got it, flaunt it!"

fleck V. /使起斑点/spot. Her cheeks, flecked with tears, were testimony to the hours of weeping.

fledgling ADJ. /无的经验 /inexperienced. While it is necessary to provide these fledgling poets with an opportunity

to present their work, it is not essential that we admire everything they write. also N.

fleece N. / 羊毛外套 /wool coat of a sheep. They shear sheep of their fleece, which they then comb into

separate strands of wool.

fleece V. /抢劫；诈骗/rob; plunder. The tricksters fleeced him of his inheritance.

flick N. /轻弹；轻打/light stroke as with a whip. The horse needed no encouragement; one flick of the whip

was all the jockey had to apply to get the animal to run at top speed.

flinch V. /畏首畏尾，退；犹豫缩 /hesitate, shrink. He did not flinch in the face of danger but fought back bravely.

Word List 20 flippant-gaffe

flippant ADJ. /轻率的，没礼貌的，嬉皮笑脸的/lacking proper seriousness. When Mark told Mona he loved her, she

dismissed his earnest declaration with a flippant "Oh, you say that to all the girls!" flippancy, N.

flit V. /掠过/fly; dart lightly; pass swiftly by. Like a bee flitting from flower to flower, Rose flitted from one

boyfriend to the next.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

floe N. /浮殡冰块；大浮冰/mass of floating ice. The ship made slow progress as it battered its way through

the ice floes.

flora N. /植物志/plants of a region or era. Because she was a botanist, she spent most of her time studying

the flora of the desert.

florid ADJ. /华丽的；红润的/ruddy; reddish; flowery. If you go to Florida and get a sunburn, your complexion

will look florid.

flounder V. /挣扎，辗转；困难地奋斗/struggle and thrash about; proceed clumsily or falter. Up to his knees in the

bog, Floyd floundered about, trying to regain his footing. Bewildered by the new software, Flo

floundered until Jan showed her how to get started.

flourish V. / 生；繁；装长荣饰/grow well; prosper; decorate with ornaments. The orange trees flourished in the

sun.

flout V. /轻视；嘲笑；愚弄/reject; mock. The headstrong youth flouted all authority; he refused to be curbed.

fluctuate V. /波动的；起伏的，不定的摇摆 /waver; shift. The water pressure in our shower fluctuates wildly; you start

rinsing yourself off with a trickle, and, two minutes later, a blast of water nearly knocks you down.

fluency N. /（言）流利语 /smoothness of speech. He spoke French with fluency and ease.

fluke N. /意外；小概率事件/unlikely occurrence; stroke of fortune. When Dou- glas defeated Tyson for the

heavyweight championship, some sportscasters dismissed his victory as a fluke.

fluster V. /使混乱，使迷惑/confuse. The teacher's sudden question flustered him and he stammered his reply.

flux N. /变迁；流动/flowing; series of changes. While conditions are in such a state of flux, I do not wish to

commit myself too deeply in this affair.

fodder N. /粗饲料；饲养 /coarse food for cattle, horses, etc. One of Nancy's chores at the ranch was to put

fresh supplies of fodder in the horses' stalls.

foible N. /缺点；弱点/weakness; slight fault. We can overlook the foibles of our friends; no one is perfect.

foil N. /烘托；衬托/contrast. In Star Wars, dark, evil Darth Vader is a perfect foil for fair-haired, naive Luke

Skywalker.

foil V. /打击；打败，挫败/defeat; frustrate. In the end, Skywalker is able to foil Vader's diabolical schemes.

foliage N. /树叶/masses of leaves. Every autumn before the leaves fell he promised himself he would drive

through New England to admire the colorful fall foliage.

foment V. /鼓动，煽动/stir up; instigate. Cheryl's archenemy Heather spread some nasty rumors that fomented

trouble in the club. Do you think Cheryl's foe meant to foment such discord?

foolhardy ADJ. / 愚勇的；大胆儿傻 /rash. Don't be foolhardy. Get the advice of experienced people before

undertaking this venture.

fop N. / 花花公子；过分注意衣着的男人 /dandy; man excessively concerned with his clothes. People who

dismissed young Mizrahi as a fop felt chagrined when he turned into one of the top fashion

designers of his day. foppish,ADJ.

forbearance N. / 耐心 /patience. We must use forbearance in dealing with him because he is still weak from his

illness.

ford N. /津；浅滩/place where a river can be crossed on foot. Rather than risk using the shaky rope bridge,

David walked a halfmile downstream until he came to the nearest ford. alsoV.

forebears N. /前人；祖先/ancestors. Reverence for one's forebears (sometimes referred to as ancestor worship)

plays an important part in many Oriental cultures.

foreboding N. /不的感详预 /premonition of evil. Suspecting no conspiracies against him, Caesar gently ridiculed his

wife's forebodings about the Ides of March.

forensic ADJ. / 法院的；适于法庭的 /suitable to debate or courts of law. In her best forensic manner, the lawyer

addressed the jury. forenSiCS, N.

foreshadow V. / 预言；预测 /give an indication beforehand; portend; prefigure. In retrospect, political analysts

realized that Yeltsin's defiance of the attempted coup foreshadowed his emergence as the dominant

figure of the new Russian republic.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

foresight N. /洞察力/ability to foresee future happenings; prudence. A wise investor, she had the foresight to buy

land just before the current real estate boom.

forestall V. /预防 /prevent by taking action in advance. By setting up a prenuptial agreement, the prospective

bride and groom hoped to forestall any potential arguments about money in the event of a divorce.

forgo V. /放弃/give up; do without. Determined to lose weight for the summer, Ida decided to forgo dessert

until she could fit into a size eight again.

forlorn ADJ. /孤苦的，凄凉的/sad and lonely; wretched. Deserted by her big sisters and her friends, the forlorn

child sat sadly on the steps awaiting their return.

formality N. /仪式；礼节 /ceremonious quality; something done just for form's sake. The president received the

visiting heads of state with due formality: flags waving, honor guards standing at attention, anthems

sounding at full blast. Signing this petition is a mere formality; it does not obligate you in any way.

formidable ADJ. / 威胁的，险恶的 /menacing; threatening. We must not treat the battle lightly for we are facing a

formidable foe.

forsake V. /放弃/desert; abandon; renounce. No one expected Foster to forsake his wife and children and run

off with another woman.

forswear V. / 放弃 /renounce; abandon. The captured knight could escape death only if he agreed to forswear

Christianity and embrace Islam as the one true faith.

forte N. /强项，特殊才能 /strong point or special talent. I am not eager to play this rather serious role, for

my forte is comedy.

forthright ADJ. /坦率的；豪爽的 /outspoken; straightforward; frank. Never afraid to call a spade a spade, she was

perhaps too forthrightto be a successful party politician.

fortitude N. /勇敢的/bravery; courage. He was awarded the medal for his fortitude in the battle.

fortuitous ADJ. /偶然的/accidental; by chance. Though he pretended their encounter was fortuitous, he'd actually

been hanging around her usual haunts for the past two weeks, hoping she'd turn up.

forum N. /论坛/place of assembly to discuss public concerns; meeting for discussion. The film opens with a

shot of the ancient Forum in Rome, where several senators are discussing the strange new sect

known as Christians. At the end of the movie, its director presided over a forum examining new

fashions in filmmaking.

foster V. /养育，培养；鼓励/rear; encourage. According to the legend, Romulus and Remus were fostered by a

she-wolf who raised the abandoned infants with her own cubs. alsoADJ.

founder V. /完全失；沉默败 /fail completely; sink. After hitting the submerged iceberg, the Titanic started taking in

water rapidly and soon foundered.

founder N. / 创办人 /person who establishes (an organization, business). Among those drowned when the

Titanic sank was the founder of the Abraham & Straus department store.

fracas N. / 争吵；混战 /brawl, melee. The military police stopped the fracas in the bar and arrested the

belligerents.

fractious ADJ. / 蛮横倔强的 /unruly; disobedient; irritable. Bucking and kicking, the fractious horse unseated its

rider.

frail ADJ. /弱的/weak. The delicate child seemed too frail to lift the heavy carton. frailty, N.

franchise N. /公民；照权营业执 /right granted by authority; right to vote; business licensed to sell a product in a

particular territory. The city issued a franchise to the company to operate surface transit lines on the

streets for ninety-nine years. For most of American history women lacked the right to vote: not until

the early twentieth century was the franchise granted to women. Stan owns a Carvel's ice cream

franchise in Chinatown.

frantic ADJ. /狂乱/wild. At the time of the collision, many people became frantic with fear.

fraternize V. / 友善 /associate in a friendly way. After the game, the members of the two teams fraternized as

cheerfully as if they had never been rivals.

fraudulent ADJ. / 欺骗的 /cheating; deceitful. The government seeks to prevent fraudulent and misleading

advertising.

fraught ADJ. /满的/filled. Since this enterprise is fraught with danger, I will ask for volunteers who are willing to

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

assume the risks.

fray N. /争吵/brawl. The three musketeers were in the thick of the fray.

frenetic ADJ. / 发狂的 /frenzied; frantic. His frenetic activities convinced us that he had no organized plan of

operation.

frenzied ADJ. /狂乱的/madly excited. As soon as they smelled smoke, the frenzied animals milled about in their

cages.

fresco N. / 壁画 /painting on plaster (usually fresh). The cathedral is visited by many tourists who wish to

admire the frescoes by Giotto.

fret V. /被激怒/to be annoyed or vexed. To fret over your poor grades is foolish; instead, decide to work

harder in the future.

friction N. /摩擦/clash in opinion; rubbing against. At this time when harmony is essential, we cannot afford to

have any friction in our group.

frigid ADJ. /刺骨寒/intensely cold. Alaska is in the frigid zone.

frivolous ADJ. / 轻佻的；嬉皮笑脸的 /lacking in seriousness; self-indulgently carefree; relatively unimportant.

Though Nancy enjoyed Bill's frivolous, lighthearted companionship, she sometimes wondered

whether he could ever be serious. frivolity, N.

frolicsome ADJ. /闹着玩的；嬉戏的/prankish; gay. The frolicsome puppy tried to lick the face of its master.

frond N. /棕榈叶；蕨叶/fern leaf; palm or banana leaf. After the storm the beach was littered with the fronds of

palm trees.

frugality N. /俭省节约/thrift; economy. In economically hard times, anyone who doesn't learn to practice frugality

risks bankruptcy. frugal,ADJ.

fruition N. /享用；成就；实现 /bearing of fruit; fulfillment; realization. This building marks the fruition of all our

aspirations and years of hard work.

frustrate V. /阻碍；挫败/thwart; defeat. We must frustrate this dictator's plan to seize control of the government.

fugitive ADJ. /短暂的，易变的；流动的/fleeting or transitory; roving. The film brought a few fugitive images to her

mind, but on the whole it made no lasting impression upon her.

fulcrum N. /（杠杆的）支点/support on which a lever rests. If we use this stone as a fulcrum and the crowbar as

a lever, we may be able to move this boulder.

fulsome ADJ. /过分的/disgustingly excessive. His fulsome praise of the dictator revolted his listeners.

fundamentalV. /基本的，基础的 /basic; primary; essential. The committee discussed all sorts of side issues without

ever getting down to addressing the fundamental problem.

furlough N. /休假/leave of absence; vacation granted a soldier or civil servant. Dreaming of her loved ones back

in the States, the young soldier could hardly wait for her upcoming furlough.

furor N. /非常激动/frenzy; great excitement. The story of her embezzlement of the funds created a furor on

the Stock Exchange.

furtive ADJ. / 隐秘的；偷偷摸摸，鬼祟 /stealthy; sneaky. Noticing the furtive glance the customer gave the

diamond bracelet on the counter, the jeweler wondered whether he had a potential shoplifter on his

hands.

fusion N. / 熔合；熔接 /union; coalition. The opponents of the political party in power organized a fusion of

disgruntled groups and became an important element in the election.

futile ADJ. /没出息；无望，没效果的/useless; hopeless; ineffectual. It is futile for me to try to get any work done

around here while the telephone is ringing every thirty seconds. futility, N.

gadfly N. /牛蝇；招人烦的人/animal-biting fly; an irritating person. Like a gadfly, he irritated all the guests at the

hotel; within forty-eight hours, everyone regarded him as an annoying busybody.

gaffe N. /失；出丑态 /social blunder. According to Miss Manners, to call your husband by your lover's name is

worse than a mere gaffe; it is a tactical mistake.

Word List 21 gainsay-gory

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

gainsay V. /否认，拒绝/deny. She was too honest to gainsay the truth of the report.

gait N. /步态，步法；速度/manner of walking or running; speed. The lame man walked with an uneven gait.

galaxy N. /星系；一群显赫的人；一系列重要的人或物 /large, isolated system of stars, such as the Milky Way; any

collection of brilliant personalities. Science fiction stories speculate about the possible existence of life

in other galaxies. The deaths of such famous actors as John Candy and George Burns tells us that

the galaxy of Hollywood superstars is rapidly disappearing.

gale N. / 大风；一阵感情的爆发 /windstorm; gust of wind; emotional outburst (laughter, tears). The Weather

Channel warned viewers about a rising gale, with winds of up to sixty miles per hour.

gall N. /痛苦；；怒烦恼恼 /bitterness; nerve. The knowledge of his failure filled him with gall.

gall V. /惹恼；侮辱/annoy; chafe. Their taunts galled him.

galleon N. /大帆船/large sailing ship. The Spaniards pinned their hopes on the galleon, the large warship; the

British, on the smaller and faster pinnace.

galvanize V. /电；刺激，激励镀 /stimulate by shock; stir up; revitalize. News that the prince was almost at their door

galvanized the ugly stepsisters into a frenzy of combing and primping.

gambit N. / 弃子先抢 /opening in chess in which a piece is sacrificed. The player was afraid to accept his

opponent's gambit because he feared a trap which as yet he could not see. gambol V. skip;

leap playfully. Watching children

gambol-ing in the park is a pleasant experience. also N.

gamely ADV. /勇敢的，有精神的/bravely; with spirit. Because he had fought gamely against a much superior boxer,

the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he left the arena.

gamut N. /整个领域/entire range. In this performance, the leading lady was able to demonstrate the complete

gamut of her acting ability.

gape V. /张着嘴呆看；裂缝/open widely; stare open-mouthed. The huge pit gaped before him; if he stumbled,

he would fall in. Slackjawed in wonder, Huck gaped at the huge stalactites hanging down from the

ceiling of the limestone cavern.

garbled ADJ. /混淆/mixed up; jumbled; distorted. A favorite party game involves passing a whispered message

from one person to another until, by the time it reaches the last player, the message is totally garbled.

gargantuan ADJ. /巨大的/huge; enormous. The gargantuan wrestler was terrified of mice.

garish ADJ. / 俗气；颜色太杂 /over-bright in color; gaudy. She wore a gaudy rhinestone necklace with an

excessively garish gold lame dress.

garner V. /收集，存储 /gather; store up. She hoped to garner the world's literature in one library.

garnish V. /装饰/decorate. Parsley was used to garnish the boiled potato. also N.

garrulous ADJ. /贫嘴/loquacious; wordy; talkative. My Uncle Henry can out-talk any three people I know. He is the

most garrulous person in Cayuga County. garrulity, N.

gauche ADJ. /粗笨的，粗糙的/clumsy; coarse and uncouth. Compared to the sophisticated young ladies in their

elegant gowns, tomboyish Jo felt gauche and out of place.

gaudy ADJ. / 华而不实的 /flashy; showy. The newest Trump skyscraper is typically gaudy, covered in gilded

panels that gleam in the sun.

gaunt ADJ. /瘦骨嶙峋，憔悴；荒芜/lean and angular; barren. His once round face looked surprisingly gaunt after

he had lost weight.

gavel N. /棒槌/hammerlike tool; mallet. "Sold!" cried the auctioneer, banging her gavel on the table to indicate

she'd accepted the final bid.

gawk V. /张着嘴呆看/stare foolishly; look in open-mouthed awe. The country boy gawked at the skyscrapers

and neon lights of the big city.

genealogy N. / 家谱 /record of descent; lineage. He was proud of his genealogy and constantly referred to the

achievements of his ancestors.

generality N. /一般性/vague statement. This report is filled with generalities; be more specific in your statements.

generate V. /产生；创造/cause; produce; create. In his first days in office, President Clinton managed to generate

a new mood of optimism; we just hoped he could generate some new jobs.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

generic ADJ. / 普通的 /characteristic of an entire class or species. Sue knew so many computer programmers

who spent their spare time playing fantasy games that she began to think that playing Dungeons &

Dragons was a generic trait.

genesis N. /发源，源头/beginning; origin. Tracing the genesis of a family is the theme of Roots.

geniality N. /亲切；同情/cheerfulness; kindliness; sympathy. This restaurant is famous and popular because of

the geniality of the proprietor who tries to make everyone happy.

genre N. /风格（文学、艺术）/particular variety of art or literature. Both a short story writer and a poet, Langston

Hughes proved himself equally skilled in either genre.

genteel ADJ. /上流的/well-bred; elegant. We are looking for a man with a genteel appearance who can inspire

confidence by his cultivated manner.

gentility N. /有教养，文雅/those of gentle birth; refinement. Her family was proud of its gentility and elegance.

gentry N. /贵族/people of standing; class of people just below nobility. The local gentry did not welcome the

visits of the summer tourists and tried to ignore their presence in the community.

germane ADJ. /密切相关/pertinent; bearing upon the case at hand. The judge refused to allow the testimony to be

heard by the jury because it was not germane to the case.

germinal ADJ. /未成熟的，幼芽的/pertaining to a germ; creative. Such an idea is germinal, I am certain that it will

influence thinkers and philosophers for many generations.

germinate V. /发芽/cause to sprout; sprout. After the seeds germinate and develop their permanent leaves, the

plants may be removed from the cold frames and transplanted to the garden.

gesticulation N. / 动作；手势 /motion; gesture. Operatic performers are trained to make exaggerated

gesticulations because of the large auditoriums in which they appear.

ghastly ADJ. /恐怖的/horrible. The murdered man was a ghastly sight.

gibberish N. /胡话；嘟囔/nonsense; babbling. Did you hear that fool boy spouting gibberish about monsters from

outer space? gibber,V.

gibe V. / 嘲笑 /mock. As you gibe at their superstitious beliefs, do you realize that you, too, are guilty of

similarly foolish thoughts?

giddy ADJ. /眼花缭乱/light-hearted; dizzy. He felt his giddy youth was past.

gingerly ADV. /小心翼翼地/very carefully. To separate egg whites, first crack the egg gingerly.

girth N. /方圆；周境围环 /distance around something; circumference. It took an extra-large cummerbund to fit

around Andrew Carnegie's considerable girth.

gist N. /精华/essence. She was asked to give the gist of the essay in two sentences.

glacial ADJ. /冰河的，冰川的 /like a glacier; extremely cold. Never a warm person, when offended John could

seem positively glacial.

glaring ADJ. /耀眼的/highly conspicuous; harshly bright. Glaring spelling or grammatical errors in your resume

will unfavorably impress potential employers.

glaze V. / 上釉/cover with a thin and shiny surface. The freezing rain glazed the streets and made driving

hazardous. also N.

glib ADJ. / 光滑，柔；口伶俐，圆滑顺齿 /fluent; facile; slick. Keeping up a steady patter to entertain his

customers, the kitchen gadget salesman was a glib speaker, never at a loss for a word.

glimmer V. / 闪烁 /shine erratically; twinkle. In the darkness of the cavern, the glowworms hanging from the

cavern roof glimmered like distant stars,

gloat V. / 垂涎；幸灾乐祸，洋洋得意 /express evil satisfaction; view malevolently. As you gloat over your ill-

gotten wealth, do you think of the many victims you have defrauded?

glossary N. / 词汇表 /brief explanation of words used in the text. I have found the glossary in this book very

useful; it has eliminated many trips to the dictionary.

gloss over V. /掩盖/explain away. No matter how hard he tried to talk around the issue, President Bush could not

gloss over the fact that he had raised taxes after all.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

glossy ADJ. /光滑有光的泽 /smooth and shining. I want this photograph printed on glossy paper, not matte.

glower V. /瞪着，愤怒的看着/scowl. The angry boy glowered at his father.

glut V. /充斥；量过 /overstock; fill to excess. The many manufacturers glutted the market and could not find

purchasers for the excess articles they had produced. also N.

glutton N. / 暴饮暴食者，饭桶 /someone who eats too much. When Mother saw that Bobby had eaten all the

cookies, she called him a little glutton. gluttonous,ADJ.

gnarled ADJ. /扭曲/twisted. The gnarled oak tree had been a landmark for years and was mentioned in several

deeds.

gnome N. /地精；小矮人；土地公公/dwarf; underground spirit. In medieval mythology, gnomes were the special

guardians and inhabitants of subterranean mines.

goad V. /刺激；激励；策驱 /urge on. He was goaded by his friends until he yielded to their wishes. also N.

gorge N. /峡谷/small, steep-walled canyon. The white-water rafting guide warned us about the rapids farther

downstream, where the river cut through a narrow gorge.

gorge V. /狼吞虎咽/stuff oneself. The gluttonous guest gorged himself with food as though he had not eaten

for days.

gory ADJ. /血腥的/bloody. The audience shuddered as they listened to the details of the gory massacre.

Word List 22 gouge-hiatus

gouge V. /挖出；撕下/tear out. In that fight, all the rules were forgotten; the adversaries bit, kicked, and tried to

gouge each other's eyes out.

gourmand N. / 老饕 /epicure; person who takes excessive pleasure in food and drink. Gourmands lack self-

restraint; if they enjoy a particular cuisine, they eat far too much of it.

gourmet N. /品尝家；美食比的委赛评 /connoisseur of food and drink. The gourmet stated that this was the best

onion soup she had ever tasted.

graduated ADJ. /分；排序级 /arranged by degrees (of height, difficulty, etc.). Margaret loved her graduated set of

Russian hollow wooden dolls; she spent hours happily putting the smaller dolls into their larger

counterparts.

graft N. /移植；移植物；嫁接/piece of transplanted tissue; portion of plant inserted in another plant. After the

fire, Greg required skin grafts to replace the badly damaged areas on his forearms. alsoV.

grandeur N. /庄严，伟大，威严 /impressiveness; stateliness; majesty. No matter how often he hiked through the

mountains, David never failed to be struck by the grandeur of the Sierra Nevada range.

grandiloquent ADJ. / 语言夸张的；词藻浮华的 /pompous; bombastic; using highsounding language. The

politician could never speak simply; she was always grandiloquent.

grandiose ADJ. /自命不凡；堂皇；夸张的 /pretentious; high-flown; ridiculously exaggerated; impressive. The aged

matinee idol still had grandiose notions of his supposed importance in the theatrical world.

granulate V. / 粒化 /form into grains. Sugar that has been granulated dissolves more readily than lump sugar.

granule, N.

graphic ADJ. /图像的；图画的/pertaining to the art of delineating; vividly described. I was particularly impressed

by the graphic presentation of the storm.

grapple V. /格斗，摔跤/wrestle; come to grips with. He grappled with the burglar and overpowered him.

grate V. / 磨碎；惹恼；因摩擦发出的刺耳声音 /make a harsh noise; have an unpleasant effect; shred. The

screams of the quarreling children grated on her nerves.

gratify V. /取悦/please. Lori's parents were gratified by her successful performance on the SAT.

gratis ADJ. /免费的/free. The company offered to give one package gratis to every purchaser of one of their

products. alsoADJ.

gratuitous ADJ. / 无条件的；无理由的；免的费 /given freely; unwarranted; uncalled for. Quit making gratuitous

comments about my driving; no one asked you for your opinion.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

gravity N. /重力；严重，庄严，严肃/seriousness. We could tell we were in serious trouble from the gravity of the

principal's expression. (secondary meaning) grave,ADJ.

gregarious ADJ. /社交的；群居/sociable. Typically, partygoers are gregarious; hermits are not.

grievance N. / 委屈；冤情；不平 /cause of complaint. When her supervisor ignored her complaint, she took her

grievance to the union.

grill V. / 盘 /question severely. In violation of the Miranda law, the police grilled the suspect for several

hours before reading him his rights. (secondary meaning)

grimace N. / 扭曲的脸；做鬼脸 /a facial distortion to show feeling such as pain, disgust, etc. Even though he

remained silent, his grimace indicated his displeasure. alsoV.

grisly ADJ. /毛骨悚然的；恐怖的，可怕的/ghastly. She shuddered at the grisly sight.

grouse V. /发牢骚 /complain; fuss. Students traditionally grouse about the abysmal quality of "mystery meat"

and similar dormitory food.

grotesque ADJ. / 稀奇古怪的；怪异 /fantastic; comically hideous. On Halloween people enjoy wearing grotesque

costumes.

grove N. /小树林/group of trees (smaller than a forest); orchard. To the child, the small grove of oaks was as

vast as Sherwood Forest, in which he played that legendary hero, Robin Hood.

grovel V. /趴，匍匐/crawl or creep on ground; remain prostrate. Even though we have been defeated, we do

not have to grovel before our conquerors.

grudging ADJ. / 不情愿；勉强 /unwilling; reluctant; stingy. We received only grudging support from the mayor

despite his earlier promises of aid.

gruel V. / 稀粥；度张极紧 /liquid food made by boiling oatmeal, etc., in milk or water. Our daily allotment of

gruel made the meal not only monotonous but also unpalatable.

grueling ADJ. /重罚；使其筋疲力尽/exhausting. The marathon is a grueling race.

gruesome ADJ. / 可怕的 /grisly; horrible. His face was the stuff of nightmares: all the children in the audience

screamed when Freddy Kruger's gruesome countenance was flashed on the screen.

gruff ADJ. / 粗糙的；粗暴的 /rough-mannered. Although he was blunt and gruff with most people, he was

always gentle with children.

guffaw N. /狂笑，哄笑/boisterous laughter. The loud guffaws that came from the closed room indicated that the

members of the committee had not yet settled down to serious business. alsoV.

guile N. /奸诈狡猾；诡计/deceit; duplicity; wiliness; cunning. lago uses considerable guile to trick Othello into

believing that Desdemona has been unfaithful.

guileless ADJ. /诚实的/without deceit. He is naive, simple, and guileless; he cannot be guilty of fraud.

guise N. /外观；装束/appearance; costume. In the guise of a plumber, the detective investigated the murder

case.

gullible ADJ. /易受的骗 /easily deceived. Overly gullible people have only themselves to blame if they fall for con

artists repeatedly. As the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

gustatory ADJ. /味觉的/affecting the sense of taste. The Thai restaurant offered an unusual gustatory experience

for those used to a bland cuisine.

gusto N. /爱好，嗜好；喜欢 /enjoyment; enthusiasm. He accepted the assignment with such gusto that I feel

he would have been satisfied with a smaller salary.

gusty ADJ. /多风的/windy. The gusty weather made sailing precarious.

hackneyed ADJ. / 常的；不希罕，腐见陈 /commonplace; trite. When the reviewer criticized the movie for its

hackneyed plot, we agreed; we had seen similar stories hundreds of times before.

haggard ADJ. /枯槁的；憔悴的/wasted away; gaunt. After his long illness, he was pale and haggard.

haggle V. / 讨价还价 /argue about prices. I prefer to shop in a store that has a one-price policy because,

whenever I haggle with a shopkeeper, I am never certain that I paid a fair price for the articles I

purchased.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

hallowed ADJ. / 神化的 /blessed; consecrated. Although the dead girl's parents had never been active

churchgoers, they insisted that their daughter be buried in hallowed ground.

hallucination N. /幻觉，幻想/delusion. I think you were frightened by a hallucination you created in your own

mind.

halting ADJ. /犹豫的/hesitant; faltering. Novice extemporaneous speakers often talk in a halting fashion as they

grope for the right words.

hamper V. /阻，制，妨碍/obstruct. The new mother didn't realize how much the effort of caring for an infant

would hamper her ability to keep an immaculate house.

haphazard ADJ. /随机的 /random; by chance. His haphazard reading left him unacquainted with the authors of the

books.

harangue N. /夸大的讲话/noisy speech. In her lengthy harangue, the principal berated the offenders. alsoV.

harass V. /烦恼/to annoy by repeated attacks. When he could not pay his bills as quickly as he had promised,

he was harassed by his creditors.

harbinger N. /先驱/forerunner. The crocus is an early harbinger of spring.

harbor V. / 庇护；隐藏 /provide a refuge for; hide. The church harbored illegal aliens who were political

refugees.

hardy ADJ. /艰苦的；勇敢的/sturdy; robust; able to stand inclement weather. We asked the gardening expert to

recommend particularly hardy plants that could withstand our harsh New England winters.

harrowing ADJ. /痛苦；悲怆/agonizing; distressing; traumatic. At first the former prisoner did not wish to discuss his

harrowing months of captivity as a political hostage.

haughtiness N. /傲慢；不逊/pride; arrogance. When she realized that Darcy believed himself too good to

dance with his inferiors, Elizabeth took great offense at his haughtiness.

hazardous ADJ. d/ 危险 /angerous. Your occupation is too hazardous for insurance companies to consider your

application.

hazy ADJ. /朦胧的；模糊的/slightly obscure. In hazy weather, you cannot see the top of this mountain.

headlong ADJ. /轻率的/hasty; rash. The slave seized the unexpected chance to make a headlong dash across the

border to freedom.

headstrong ADJ. /硬脖子；任性；不屈/stubborn; willful; unyielding. Because she refused to marry the man her parents

had chosen for her, everyone scolded Minna and called her a foolish headstrong girl.

heckler N. / 者 /person who harasses others. The heckler kept interrupting the speaker with rude remarks.

heckle,V.

hedonist N. / 享乐主义者 /one who believes that pleasure is the sole aim in life. A thoroughgoing hedonist, he

considered only his own pleasure and ignored any claims others had on his money or time.

heed V. /注意，关注，留意/pay attention to; consider. We hope you heed our advice and get a good night's

sleep before the test. also N.

heedless ADJ. /轻蔑的；不理睬的/not noticing; disregarding. He drove on, heedless of the danger warnings placed

at the side of the road.

heinous ADJ. /可恶的，令人深恶痛绝/atrocious; hatefully bad. Hitler's heinous crimes will never be forgotten.

herbivorous ADJ. /吃粮食的（动物） /grain-eating. Some herbivorous animals have two stomachs for digesting their

food.

heresy N. /少数意见，异端/opinion contrary to popular belief; opinion contrary to accepted religion. Galileo's

assertion that the earth moved around the sun directly contradicted the religious teachings of his day;

as a result, he was tried for heresy. heretic, N.

hermetic ADJ. /密封的，气密的/sealed by fusion so as to be airtight. After you sterilize the bandages, place them in

a container and seal it with a hermetic seal to protect them from contamination by airborne bacteria.

hermitage N. /隐居的居所/home of a hermit. Even in his remote hermitage he could not escape completely from

the world.

heterodox ADJ. /非主流；异端 /unorthodox; unconventional. To those who upheld the belief that the earth did not

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

move, Galileo's theory that the earth circled the sun was disturbingly heterodox.

heterogeneous ADJ. / 异类，异种；不纯 /dissimilar; mixed. This year's entering class is a remarkably

heterogeneous body: it includes students from forty different states and twenty-six foreign countries,

some the children of billionaires, others the offspring of welfare families. heterogenity, N.

heyday N. /鼎盛时期/time of greatest success; prime. In their heyday, the San Francisco Forty-Niners won the

Super Bowl two years running.

hiatus N. / 隙；短暂的空白缝 /gap; interruption in duration or continuity; pause. During the summer hiatus, many

students try to earn enough money to pay their tuition for the next school year.

Word List 23 h i b e r n a l-imbi b e

hibernal ADJ. /冬天的/wintry. Bears prepare for their long hibernal sleep by overeating.

hibernate V. / 冬眠/sleep throughout the winter. Bears are one of the many species of animals that hibernate.

hibernation, N.

hierarchy N. /分，排序了的级 /arrangement by rank or standing; authoritarian body divided into ranks. To be low

man on the totem pole is to have an inferior place in the hierarchy.

hilarity N. /狂欢，欢闹/boisterous mirth. This hilarity is improper on this solemn day of mourning.

hindrance N. / 障碍物 /block; obstacle. Stalled cars along the highway are a hindrance to traffic that tow trucks

should remove without delay. hinder,V.

histrionic ADJ. /戏剧性的 /theatrical. He was proud of his histrionic ability and wanted to play the role of Hamlet,

histrionics, N.

hoard V. / 藏储 /stockpile; accumulate for future use. Whenever there are rumors of a food shortage, many

people are tempted to hoard food. also N.

hoary ADJ. /灰白的/white with age. The man was hoary and wrinkled when he was 70.

hoax N. /伎俩；小聪明/trick; practical joke. Embarrassed by the hoax, he reddened and left the room. alsoV.

hodgepodge N. /大杂烩/jumble; mixture of ill-suited elements. The reviewer roundly condemned the play as

a hodgepodge of random and purposeless encounters carried out by a cast lacking any uniformity of

accent or style.

holster N. /手枪套/pistol case. Even when he was not in uniform, he carried a holster and pistol under his arm.

homage N. /敬意/honor; tribute. In her speech she tried to pay homage to a great man.

homogeneous ADJ. /同的类 /of the same kind. Because the student body at Elite Prep was so homogeneous,

Sara and James decided to send their daughter to a school that offered greater cultural diversity.

homogenize,V.

hone V. /磨尖/sharpen. To make shaving easier, he honed his razor with great care.

hoodwink V. /欺骗，迷惑，蛊惑 /deceive; delude. Having been hoodwinked once by the fast-talking salesman, he

was extremely cautious when he went to purchase a used car.

horde N. /拥挤/crowd. Just before Christmas the stores are filled with hordes of shoppers.

horticultural ADJ. / 园艺的 /pertaining to cultivation of gardens. When he bought his house, he began to look for

flowers and decorative shrubs, and began to read books dealing with horticultural matters.

host N. /很多；主人；宿主/great number; person entertaining guests; animal or plant from which a parasite

gets its nourishment. You must attend to a host of details if you wish to succeed as host of a formal

dinner party. Leeches are parasites that cling to their hosts and drink their hosts' blood.

hostility N. /不友好，意敌 /unfriendliness; hatred. A child who has been the sole object of his parents' affection

often feels hostility toward a new baby in the family, resenting the newcomer who has taken his place.

hovel N. /小屋 /shack; small, wretched house. He wondered how poor people could stand living in such a

hovel.

hover V. /逗留；盘旋；等待/hang about; wait nearby. The police helicopter hovered above the accident.

hue N. /色调/color; aspect. The aviary contained birds of every possible hue.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

hulking ADJ. / 大量的，巨大的 /massive; bulky; great in size. Despite his hulking build, the heavyweight boxing

champion was surprisingly light on his feet. hulk, N.

humane ADJ. /仁慈/marked by kindness or consideration. It is ironic that the Humane Society sometimes must

show its compassion toward mistreated animals by killing them to put them out of their misery.

humdrum ADJ. /单调的 /dull; monotonous. After his years of adventure, he could not settle down to a humdrum

existence.

humid ADJ. /潮湿的/damp. She could not stand the humid climate and moved to a drier area.

humility N. /谦逊/humbleness of spirit. He spoke with a humility and lack of pride that impressed his listeners.

hurtle V. /冲击；碰撞；急冲/crash; rush. The runaway train hurtled toward disaster.

husband V. /节约/use sparingly; conserve; save. Marathon runners must husband their energy so that they can

keep going for the entire distance.

hybrid N. / 混合的，混血的/mongrel; mixed breed. Mendel's formula explains the appearance of hybrids and

pure species in breeding. alsoADJ.

hydrophobia N. /恐水症；狂犬病/rabies; fear of water. A dog that bites a human being must be observed for

symptoms of hydrophobia.

hyperbole N. /夸张/exaggeration; overstatement. As far as I'm concerned, Apple's claims about the new computer

are pure hyperbole: no machine is that good!

hypercriticalADJ. /及其夸张/excessively exacting. You are hypercritical in your demands for perfection; we all make

mistakes.

hypochondriac N. / 无病呻吟；郁症忧 /person unduly worried about his health; worrier without cause about

illness. The doctor prescribed chocolate pills for his patient who was a hypochondriac.

hypocritical ADJ. /伪善；欺骗/pretending to be virtuous; deceiving. Believing Eddie to be interested only in his own

advancement, Greg resented his hypocritical posing as a friend. hypocrisy, N.

hypotheticalADJ. / 基于假设的，设想的，假想的 /based on assumptions or hypotheses; supposed. Suppose you are

accepted by Harvard, Stanford, and Brown. Which one would you choose to attend? Remember, this

is only a hypothetical situation. hypotheSiS, N.

ichthyology N. / 鱼类学 /study of fish. Jacques Cousteau's programs about sea life have advanced the cause of

ichthyology

icon N. /偶像，象征；图标/religious image; idol. The icons on the walls of the church were painted in the 13th

century.

iconoclastic ADJ. / 打破旧习/attacking cherished traditions. Deeply iconoclastic, Jean Genet deliberately set out to

shock conventional theatergoers with his radical plays.

ideology N. / 意形识态 /system of ideas of a group. For people who had grown up believing in the communist

ideology, it was hard to adjust to capitalism.

idiom N. /习；成语语/expression whose meaning as a whole differs from the meanings of its individual words;

distinctive style. The phrase "to lose one's marbles" is an idiom: if I say that Joe's lost his marbles, I'm

not asking you to find some for him. I'm telling you idiomatically that he's crazy.

idiosyncrasy N. / 特性，特质；古怪的，离心的 /individual trait, usually odd in nature; eccentricity. One of

Richard Nixon's little idiosyncrasies was his liking for ketchup on cottage cheese. One of Hannibal

Lecter's little idiosyncrasies was his liking for human flesh. idiosyncratic,ADJ.

idolatry N. /过度崇拜/worship of idols; excessive admiration. Such idolatry of singers of country music is typical

of the excessive enthusiasm of youth.

ignite V. /点燃/kindle; light. When Desi crooned, "Baby, light my fire," literal-minded Lucy looked around for

some paper to ignite.

ignoble ADJ. /不高的；不光彩的贵 /of lowly origin; unworthy. This plan is inspired by ignoble motives and I must,

therefore, oppose it.

ignominy N. / ；抹黑；耻辱丢脸 /deep disgrace; shame or dishonor. To lose the Ping-Pong match to a trained

chimpanzee! How could Rollo stand the ignominy of his defeat? ignominious,ADJ.

illicit ADJ. / 非法的 /illegal. The defense attorney maintained that his client had never performed any illicit

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

action.

illimitable ADJ. /无限/infinite. Man, having explored the far corners of the earth, is now reaching out into illimitable

space.

illuminate V. / 照亮；明朗；澄清 /brighten; clear up or make understandable; enlighten. Just as a lamp can

illuminate a dark room, a perceptive comment can illuminate a knotty problem.

illusion N. /幻觉/misleading vision. It is easy to create an optical illusion in which lines of equal length appear

different.

illusory ADJ. /虚幻的，不真实的/deceptive; not real. Unfortunately, the costs of running the lemonade stand were

so high that Tom's profits proved illusory.

imbalance N. / 不平衡，不成比例 /lack of balance or symmetry; disproportion. To correct racial imbalance in the

schools, school boards have bussed black children into white neighborhoods and white children into

black ones.

imbibe V. /吸收/drink in. The dry soil imbibed the rain quickly.

Word List 24 immaculate-incessant

immaculate ADJ. /无暇的/spotless; flawless; absolutely clean. Ken and Jessica were wonderful tenants and left the

apartment in immaculate condition when they moved out.

imminent ADJ. /即将到来，逼近的 /near at hand; impending. Rosa was such a last-minute worker that she could

never start writing a paper till the deadline was imminent.

immobility N. / 无法移动，不可移动的 /state of being immovable. Modern armies cannot afford the luxury of

immobility, as they are vulnerable to attack while standing still.

immune ADJ. /免疫；抵抗/resistant to; free or exempt from. Fortunately, Florence had contracted chicken pox as

a child and was immune to it when her baby broke out in spots.

immutable ADJ. /不可动的，不能改变的摇 /unchangeable. All things change over time; nothing is immutable.

impair V. / 伤害/injure; hurt. Drinking alcohol can impair your ability to drive safely; if you're going to drink,

don't drive.

impale V. /刺穿/Pierce. He was impaled by the spear hurled by his adversary.

impalpable ADJ. /难以明了，难以觉察的/imperceptible; intangible. The ash is so fine that it is impalpable to the touch

but it can be seen as a fine layer covering the window ledge.

impart V. / 赋予；告诉 /reveal or tell; grant. Polly begged Grandma to impart her recipe for rugeleh, but her

grandmother wouldn't say a word.

impartial ADJ. /公平的/not biased; fair. Knowing she could not be impartial about her own child, Jo refused to

judge any match in which Billy was competing.

impassable ADJ. /无路可通的；没法通行/not able to be traveled or crossed. A giant redwood had fallen across the

highway, blocking all four lanes: the road was impassable.

impasse N. /走投无路；僵局/predicament from which there is no escape; deadlock. In this impasse, all turned to

prayer as their last hope.

impassive ADJ. /冷漠的/without feeling; imperturbable; stoical. Refusing to let the enemy see how deeply shaken

he was by his capture, the prisoner kept his face impassive.

impeach V. /控告，举；弹劾检 /charge with crime in office; indict. The angry congressman wanted to impeach the

president for his misdeeds.

impeccable ADJ. / 没有缺点 /faultless. The uncrowned queen of the fashion industry, Diana was acclaimed for her

impeccable taste.

impecunious ADJ. /身无分文的 /without money. Though Scrooge claimed he was too impecunious to give

alms, he easily could have afforded to be charitable.

impede V. /阻止；拖延/hinder; block; delay. A series of accidents impeded the launching of the space shuttle.

impediment N. /妨碍；障碍物/hindrance; stumbling-block. She had a speech impediment that prevented

her speaking clearly.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

impel V. / 驱使 /drive or force onward. A strong feeling of urgency impelled her; if she failed to finish the

project right then, she knew that she would never get it done.

impenetrable ADJ. / 难以进入的；难以渗透的；不可理解的 /not able to be pierced or entered; beyond

understanding. How could the murderer have gotten into the locked room? To Watson, the mystery,

like the room, was impenetrable.

impending ADJ. / 接近的；附近的 /nearing; approaching. The entire country was saddened by the news of his

impending death.

impenitent ADJ. /执迷不悟的/not repentant. We could see from his tough guy attitude that he was impenitent.

imperative ADJ. /及其重要，及其关键/absolutely necessary; critically important. It is imperative that you be extremely

agreeable to GreatAunt Maud when she comes to tea: otherwise she might not leave you that million

dollars in her will. also N.

imperceptible ADJ. / 察不到的觉 /unnoticeable; undetectable. Fortunately, the stain on the blouse was

imperceptible after the blouse had gone through the wash.

imperial ADJ. / 帝王的；皇帝的 /like an emperor; related to an empire. When hotel owner Leona Helmsley

appeared in ads as Queen Leona standing guard over the Palace Hotel, her critics mocked her

imperial fancies.

imperious ADJ. /专横的/domineering; haughty. Jane rather liked a man to be masterful, but Mr. Rochester seemed

so bent on getting his own way that he was actually imperious!

impermeable ADJ. /不能渗透的/impervious; not permitting passage through its substance. This new material

is impermeable to liquids.

impertinent ADJ. / 不相干的；莽的鲁 /insolent; rude. His neighbors' impertinent curiosity about his lack of dates

angered Ted. It was downright rude of them to ask him such personal questions.

imperturbable ADJ. /沉着冷静；平静/calm; placid; composed. In the midst of the battle, the Duke of Wellington

remained imperturbable and in full command of the situation despite the hysteria and panic all around

him. imperturbability, N.

Impervious ADJ. / 不会被的；不能渗透的损 /impenetrable; incapable of being damaged or distressed. The carpet

salesman told Simone that his most expensive brand of floor covering was warranted to be

impervious to ordinary wear and tear. Having read so many negative reviews of his acting, the movie

star had learned to ignore them, and was now impervious to criticism.

impetuous ADJ. / 冲动的，鲁莽的 /violent; hasty; rash. "Leap before you look" was the motto suggested by one

particularly impetuous young man.

impetus N. /动力；动机/incentive; stimulus; moving force. A new federal highway program would create jobs and

give added impetus to our economic recovery.

impiety N. / 不敬（对神）；不虔诚 /irreverence; lack of respect for God. When members of the youth group

draped the church in toilet paper one Halloween, the minister reprimanded them for their impiety.

impinge V. / 撞击；碰撞 /infringe; touch;. collide with. How could they be married without impinging on one

another's freedom?

impious ADJ. /不敬的；不礼貌的/irreverent. The congregation was offended by her impious remarks.

implacable ADJ. / 不能平静的 /incapable of being pacified. Madame Defarge was the implacable enemy of the

Evremonde family.

implausible ADJ. / 难以置信的；不像是真的 /unlikely; unbelievable. Though her alibi seemed implausible, it in fact

turned out to be true.

implement V. /贯彻，实现；用工具实现/put into effect; supply with tools. The mayor was unwilling to implement the

plan until she was sure it had the governor's backing. also N.

implicate V. / ，扯（犯罪）；暗示牵连牵 /incriminate; show to be involved. Here's the deal: if you agree to take the

witness stand and implicate your partners in crime, the prosecution will recommend that the judge go

easy in sentencing you.

implication N. /含；暗示义 /something hinted at or suggested. When Miss Watson said she hadn't seen her purse

since the last time Jim was in the house, the implication was that she suspected Jim had taken it.

imply,V.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

implicit ADJ. /会意的，意会而不言传；暗示的 /understood but not stated. Jack never told Jill he adored her; he

believed his love was implicit in his actions.

implore V. /恳求/beg. He implored her to give him a second chance.

imply V. /暗示；表示/suggest a meaning not expressed; signify. When Aunt Millie said, "My! That's a big piece

of pie, young man!" was she implying that Bobby was being a glutton in helping himself to such a

huge piece?

importunate ADJ. /胡搅蛮缠的；苛刻的 /urging; demanding. He tried to hide from his importunate creditors until his

allowance arrived.

importune V. / 强求；不停的求 /beg persistently. Democratic and Republican phone solicitors importuned her for

contributions so frequently that she decided to give nothing to either party.

impostor N. /冒充者；冒名顶替的人 /someone who assumes a false identity. Holmes exposed the doctor as an

impostor.

impotent ADJ. /无能的；弱的 /weak; ineffective. Although he wished to break the nicotine habit, he found himself

impotent in resisting the craving for a cigarette.

impoverished ADJ. /穷/poor. The loss of their farm left the family impoverished and without hope.

impregnableADJ. /不受影的；无的响敌 /invulnerable. Until the development of the airplane as a military weapon, the

fort was considered impregnable.

impromptu ADJ. / 一冲动的；即兴的时 /without previous preparation; off the cuff; on the spur of the moment. The

judges were amazed that she could make such a thorough, well-supported presentation in an

impromptu speech.

impropriety N. / 不合适，不恰当 /improperness; unsuitableness. Because of the impropriety of the punk

rocker's slashed T-shirt and jeans, the management refused to admit him to the hotel's very formal

dining room.

improvident ADJ. / 浪费的 /thriftless. He was constantly being warned to mend his improvident ways and begin to

"save for a rainy day." improvidence, N.

improvise V. /临时准备；即席创作，现编 /compose on the spur of the moment. She would sit at the piano and

improvise for hours on themes from Bach and Handel.

imprudent ADJ. /轻率的，判断错误的/lacking caution; injudicious. It is imprudent to exercise vigorously and become

overheated when you are unwell.

impudence N. /无礼；厚无耻颜 /impertinence; insolence. Kissed on the cheek by a perfect stranger, Lady Catherine

exclaimed, "Of all the nerve! Young man, I should have you horse-whipped for your impudence."

impugn V. /打击；挑战/dispute or contradict (often in an insulting way); challenge; gainsay. Our treasurer was

furious when the finance committee's report impugned the accuracy of his financial records and

recommended that he should take bonehead math.

impunity N. / 免受惩罚 /freedom from punishment or harm. A 98pound weakling can't attack a beachfront bully

with impunity. the poor, puny guy is sure to get mashed.

inadvertently ADV. /不意的经 /unintentionally; by oversight; carelessly. Judy's great fear was that she might

inadvertently omit a question on the exam and mismark her whole answer sheet.

inalienable ADJ. /无可取代的；不能与的给 /not to be taken away; nontransferable. The Declaration of Independence

mentions the inalienable rights that all of us possess.

inane ADJ. / ；粗心傻 /silly; senseless. There's no point to what you're saying. Why are you bothering to make

such inane remarks?

inanimate ADJ. /了无生气的，死气沉沉的/lifeless. She was asked to identify the still and inanimate body.

inarticulate ADJ. /不善于表达的；口不清的齿 /speechless; producing indistinct speech. He became inarticulate with

rage and uttered sounds without meaning.

inaugurate V. /开始；开幕；开幕式/start; initiate; install in office. The airline decided to inaugurate its new route to

the Far East with a special reduced fare offer. inaugural,ADJ.

incandescent ADJ. /白的/strikingly bright; shining with intense heat. If you leave on an incandescent light

bulb, it quickly grows too hot to touch.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

incantation N. /咒语/singing or chanting of magic spells; magical formula. Uttering incantations to make the brew

more potent, the witch doctor stirred the liquid in the caldron.

incapacitate V. /使其无能力/disable. During the winter, many people were incapacitated by respiratory ailments.

incarcerate V. /囚禁/imprison. The civil rights workers were willing to be arrested and even incarcerated if by their

imprisonment they could serve the cause.

incarnation N. /化身；具人形/act of assuming a human body and human nature. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is

a basic tenet of Christian theology.

incendiary N. / 火者纵 /arsonist. The fire spread in such an unusual manner that the fire department chiefs were

certain that it had been set by an incendiary. alsoADJ.

incense V. /激怒/enrage; infuriate. Cruelty to defenseless animals incensed Kit: the very idea brought tears of

anger to her eyes.

incentive N. / 刺激，动驱 /spur; motive. Mike's strong desire to outshine his big sister was all the incentive he

needed to do well in school.

inception N. /开始，开端/start; beginning. She was involved with the project from its inception.

incessant ADJ. /不停的/uninterrupted; unceasing. In a famous TV commercial, the frogs' incessant croaking goes

on and on until eventually it turns into a single word: "Bud-weis-er."

Word List 25 inchoate-ingenious

inchoate ADJ. / 未成型的，早期的，刚开始的，发展中的 /recently begun; rudimentary; elementary. Before the

Creation, the world was an inchoate mass.

incidence N. /发生；发生率；影响的范围、频度；入射角；关联，相结合，对接 /rate of occurrence; particular occurrence.

Health professionals expressed great concern over the high incidence of infant mortality in major

urban areas.

incidental ADJ. /不重要的；少数的 /not essential; minor. The scholarship covered his major expenses at college

and some of his incidental expenses as well.

incipient ADJ. /开始；早期的/beginning; in an early stage. I will go to sleep early for I want to break an incipient

cold.

incisive ADJ. /尖锐；深刻，激烈/cutting; sharp. His incisive remarks made us see the fallacy in our plans.

incite V. /煽动，刺激，驱使/arouse to action; goad; motivate; induce to exist. In a fiery speech, Mario incited

his fellow students to go out on strike to protest the university's anti-affirmative action stand.

inclement ADJ. /险恶的；严酷的 /stormy; unkind. In inclement weather, I like to curl up on the sofa with a good

book and listen to the storm blowing outside.

incline N. / 倾斜，斜面 /slope; slant. The architect recommended that the nursing home's ramp be rebuilt

because its incline was too steep for wheelchairs.

inclined ADJ. /倾向；倾向于，弯曲 /tending or leaning toward; bent. Though I am inclined to be skeptical, the

witness's manner inclines me to believe his story. alsoV.

inclusive ADJ. /包揽一切的/tending to include all. The comedian turned down the invitation to join the Players'

Club, saying any club that would let him in was too inclusive for him.

incoherent ADJ. / 缺乏逻的，不明的；腐的辑聪陈 /unintelligible; muddled; illogical. The excited fan blushed and

stammered, her words becoming almost incoherent in the thrill of meeting her favorite rock star

face to face. incoherence, N.

incompatible ADJ. / 不和；不兼容谐 /inharmonious. The married couple argued incessantly and finally

decided to separate because they were incompatible. incompatibility, N.

incongruous ADJ. / 不和的；荒的调谬 /not fitting; absurd. Dave saw nothing incongruous about wearing

sneakers with his tuxedo; he couldn't understand why his date took one look at him and started to

laugh. incongruity, N.

inconsequential ADJ. /不合理的，不重要的 /insignificant; unimportant. Brushing off Ali's apologies for having

broken the wineglass, Tamara said, "Don't worry about it; it's inconsequential."

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

inconsistency N. /不一致的，自相矛盾的/state of being self-contradictory; lack of uniformity or steadiness.

How are lawyers different from agricultural inspectors? While lawyers check inconsistencies in

witnesses' statements, agricultural inspectors check inconsistencies in Grade A eggs.

inconsistent,ADJ.

incontinent ADJ. /缺乏自制力，放肆/lacking self-restraint; licentious. His incontinent behavior off stage so shocked

many people that they refused to attend the plays and movies in which he appeared.

incontrovertible ADJ. / 无疑的，无可争的议 /indisputable; not open to question. Unless you find the evidence

against my client absolutely incontrovertible, you must declare her not guilty of this charge.

incorporate V. / 合并，联合/introduce something into a larger whole; combine; unite. Breaking with precedent,

President Truman ordered the military to incorporate blacks into every branch of the armed

services. alsoADJ.

incorporeal ADJ. /非物质的，无形的；无实体的/lacking a material body; insubstantial. While Casper the friendly ghost

is an incorporeal being, nevertheless he and his fellow ghosts make quite an impact on the

physical world.

incorrigible ADJ. /不可救药/not correctable. Though Widow Douglass hoped to reform Huck, Miss Watson called

him incorrigible and said he would come to no good end.

incredulous ADJ. /怀疑的/withholding belief; skeptical. When Jack claimed he hadn't eaten the jelly doughnut, Jill

took an incredulous look at his smeared face and laughed. incredulity, N.

increment N. /增加/increase. The new contract calls for a 10 percent increment in salary for each employee for

the next two years.

incriminate V. / 控告 /accuse. The evidence gathered against the racketeers incriminates some high public

officials as well.

incrustation N. /驻扎/hard coating or crust. In dry dock, we scraped off the incrustation of dirt and barnacles that

covered the hull of the ship.

incubate V. /孵卵/hatch; scheme. Inasmuch as our supply of electricity is cut off, we shall have to rely on the

hens to incubate these eggs.

inculcate V. /谆谆教导/teach; instill. In an effort to inculcate religious devotion, the officials ordered that the

school day begin with the singing of a hymn.

incumbent ADJ. /义不容辞的，职责在身的/obligatory; currently holding an office. It is incumbent upon all incumbent

elected officials to keep accurate records of expenses incurred in office. also N.

incur V. /招致/bring upon oneself. His parents refused to pay any future debts he might incur.

incursion N. /袭击 /temporary invasion. The nightly incursions and hit-and-run raids of our neighbors across

the border tried the patience of the country to the point where we decided to retaliate in force.

indefatigable ADJ. / 疲倦 /tireless. Although the effort of taking out the garbage tired Wayne out for the

entire morning, when it came to partying, he was indefatigable.

indelible ADJ. /去不掉的；不可磨灭的/not able to be erased. The indelible ink left a permanent mark on my shirt.

Young Bill Clinton's meeting with President Kennedy made an indelible impression on the youth.

indentation N. /槽；小开口/notch; deep recess. You can tell one tree from another by examining their leaves and

noting the differences in the indentations along the edges of the leaves. indent,V.

indenture V. /契约/bind as servant or apprentice to master. Many immigrants could come to America only after

they had indentured themselves for several years. also N.

indeterminate ADJ. /不确定/uncertain; not clearly fixed; indefinite. That interest rates shall rise appears certain; when they

will do so, however, remains indeterminate.

indicative ADJ. /预示的/suggestive; implying. A lack of appetite may be indicative of a major mental or physical disorder.

indices n. PL . / 符号；暗示 /signs; indications. Many college admissions officers believe that SAT scores and high school

grades are the best indices of a student's potential to succeed in college. N. SG. index.

indict V. / 控告；起诉 /charge. The district attorney didn't want to indict the suspect until she was sure she had a strong

enough case to convince a jury. indictment, N.

indifferent ADJ. / 普通的，无关要的紧 /unmoved or unconcerned by; mediocre. Because Ann felt no desire to marry, she was

indifferent to Carl's constant proposals. Not only was she indifferent to him personally, but she felt that, given his

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

general silliness, he would make an indifferent husband.

indigenous ADJ. native. Cigarettes are made of tobacco, a plant indigenous to the New World.

indigent ADJ. /穷困的/poor; destitute. Someone who is truly indigent can't even afford to buy a pack of cigarettes. [Don't mix

up indigent and indigenous. See previous sentence.]

indignation N. /义愤；愤慨/anger at an injustice. He felt indignation at the ill-treatment of helpless animals.

indignity N. /侮辱/offensive or insulting treatment. Although he seemed to accept cheerfully the indignities heaped upon him,

he was inwardly very angry.

indiscretion N. /轻率；莽撞/lack of tactfulness or sound judgment. Terrified that the least indiscretion could jeopardize his political

career, the novice politician never uttered an unguarded word. indiscreet,ADJ.

indiscriminate ADJ. / 随意的；不分青皂白的红 /choosing at random; confused. She disapproved of her son's

indiscriminate television viewing and decided to restrict him to educational programs.

indisputableADJ. / 没有争论余地；非常清楚的 /too certain to be disputed. In the face of these indisputable statements, I

withdraw my complaint.

indissolubleADJ. /不能分解的；永久的/permanent. The indissoluble bonds of marriage are all too often being dissolved.

indoctrinate V. /教导；灌输 /instruct in a doctrine or ideology. CubanAmericans resisted sending Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba

because he would be indoctrinated there with Communist principles.

indolent ADJ. /懒惰/lazy. Couch potatoes lead an indolent life lying back on their Lazyboy recliners watching Tv. indolence, N.

indomitable ADJ. /不屈服的；不可被征服的/unconquerable; unyielding. Focusing on her game despite all her personal problems,

tennis champion Steffi Graf proved she had an indomitable will to win.

indubitable ADJ. / 不容置疑的；无疑的 /unable to be doubted; unquestionable. Auditioning for the chorus line, Molly was an

indubitable hit: the director fired the leading lady and hired Molly in her place!

induce V. /劝诱；导致，引起 /persuade; bring about. After the quarrel, Tina said nothing could induce her to talk to Tony

again. inducement, N.

indulgent ADJ. /宽容，纵容，溺爱/humoring; yielding; lenient. Jay's mom was excessively indulgent she bought him every

Nintendo cartridge and video game on the market. She indulged Jay so much, she spoiled him rotten.

industrious ADJ. /勤奋的，努力的 /diligent; hard-working. Look busy when the boss walks by your desk; it never hurts to appear

industrious. industry, N.

inebriated ADJ. /醉的/habitually intoxicated; drunk. Abe was inebriated more often than he was sober. Because of his inebriety,

he was discharged from his job as a bus driver.

ineffable ADJ. /不可言的，无法用言表达的；不能的，避的喻语说讳 /unutterable; cannot be expressed in speech. Such ineffable

joy must be experienced; it cannot be described.

ineffectual ADJ. / 无效的，弱的 /not effective; weak. Because the candidate failed to get across his message to the public, his

campaign was ineffectual.

inefficacious ADJ. /无能的，无效的 /not effective; unable to produce a desired result. All Lois's coaxing and

urging was inefficacious: Clark still refused to join her and Superman for dinner. inefficacy, N.

inept ADJ. /不相称的，不合适的，不称的职 /lacking skill; unsuited; incompetent. The inept glovemaker was all

thumbs.

inequity N. /不公平/unfairness. In demanding equal pay for equal work, women protest the basic inequity of a

system that gives greater financial rewards to men.

inert ADJ. / 惰性的，不活跃的 /inactive; lacking power to move. "Get up, you lazybones," she cried to her

husband, who lay in bed inert. inertia, N.

inevitable ADJ. / 不可避免地 /unavoidable. Though death and taxes are both supposedly inevitable, some people

avoid paying taxes for years.

inexorable ADJ. /无情的；残酷的 /relentless; unyielding; implacable. After listening to the pleas for clemency, the

judge was inexorable and gave the convicted man the maximum punishment allowed by law.

infallible ADJ. /一正确的贯 /unerring. We must remember that none of us is infallible; we all make mistakes.

infamous ADJ. /臭名昭著的，恶名远扬的 /notoriously bad. Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer are both infamous

killers.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

infantile ADJ. /婴儿的，幼稚的/childish. When will he outgrow such infantile behavior?

infer V. /推导，总结/deduce; conclude. From the students' glazed looks, it was easy for me to infer that they

were bored out of their minds. inference, N.

infernal ADJ. /魔鬼的，地的狱 /pertaining to hell; devilish. Batman was baffled: he could think of no way to hinder

the Joker's infernal scheme to destroy the city.

infidel N. /异教徒，异端；不信宗教的/unbeliever. The Saracens made war against the infidels.

infiltrate V. / 渗透 /pass into or through; penetrate (an organization) sneakily. In order to be able to infiltrate

enemy lines at night without being seen, the scouts darkened their faces and wore black coveralls.

infiltrator, N.

infinitesimal ADJ. /微小的/very small. In the twentieth century, physicists have made their greatest discoveries about

the characteristics of infinitesimal objects like the atom and its parts.

infirmity N. /弱点/weakness. Her greatest infirmity was lack of willpower.

inflated ADJ. /夸张的，虚华的，被放大的/exaggerated; pompous; enlarged (with air or gas). His claims about the

new product were inflated, it did not work as well as he had promised.

influx N. / 注入，流入 /flowing into. The influx of refugees into the country has taxed the relief agencies

severely.

informal ADJ. / 非正式的；不拘礼节的 /absence of ceremony; casual. The English teacher preferred informal

discussions to prepared lectures.

infraction N. / 打破（常规） /violation (of a rule or regulation); breach. When Dennis Rodman butted heads with

that referee, he committed a clear infraction of NBA rules.

infuriate V. /激怒，热火/enrage; anger. Her big brother's teasing always infuriated Margaret; no matter how hard

she tried to keep her temper, he always got her goat.

infusion N. / 灌；浸泡；注入输 /act of introducing or instilling a quality; liquid solution. The rookie quarterback

brought an infusion of new life and vigor to the tired team. infuse,V.

ingenious ADJ. /聪明的/clever; resourceful. Kit admired the ingenious way that her computer keyboard opened up

to reveal the built-in CD-ROM below. ingenuity, N.

Word List 26 ingenue-invigorate

ingenue N. /天真无邪的少女；扮演天真无邪的少女的女演员 /an artless girl; an actress who plays such parts. Although

she was forty, she still insisted that she be cast as an ingenue and refused to play more mature roles.

ingenuous ADJ. /心无城府的；天真的；幼稚的；可信的/naive and trusting; young; unsophisticated. The woodsman had

not realized how ingenuous Little Red Riding Hood was until he heard that she had gone off for a

walk in the woods with the Big Bad Wolf.

ingrained ADJ. / 牢固的；深深扎根的；深入人心的 /deeply established; firmly rooted. Try as they would, the

missionaries were unable to uproot the ingrained superstitions of the natives.

ingrate N. /忘恩者；不情的人负义领 /ungrateful person. That ingrate Bob sneered at the tie I gave him.

ingratiate V. /迎合，好；流行开来讨 /become popular with. He tried to ingratiate himself into her parents' good

graces.

inherent ADJ. /固有的，内在的；与生俱来的/firmly established by nature or habit. Katya's inherent love of justice

caused her to champion anyone she considered treated unfairly by society.

inhibit V. /限制，防止；阻碍/restrain; retard or prevent. Only two things inhibited him from taking a punch at

Mike Tyson: Tyson's left hook, and Tyson's right jab. The protective undercoating on my car inhibits

the formation of rust.

inimical ADJ. / 不友好的；意的；有害的敌 /unfriendly; hostile; harmful; detrimental. I've always been friendly to

Martha. Why is she so inimical to me?

inimitable ADJ. /独一无二的，独特的；防伪的，难以模仿的/matchless; not able to be imitated. We admire Auden for his

inimitable use of language; he is one of a kind.

iniquitous ADJ. / 邪恶的 /wicked; immoral; unrighteous. Whether or not King Richard III was responsible for the

murder of the two young princes in the Tower, it was an iniquitous deed. iniquity, N.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

initiate V. / 开始，源发 /begin; originate; receive into a group. The college is about to initiate a program in

reducing math anxiety among students.

injurious ADJ./有害的/ harmful. Smoking cigarettes can be injurious to your health.

inkling N. /暗示，提示/hint. This came as a complete surprise to me as I did not have the slightest inkling of

your plans.

innate ADJ. / 先天的，天生的 /inborn. Mozart's parents soon recognized young Wolfgang's innate talent for

music.

innocuous ADJ. / 无害的，无辜的 /harmless. An occasional glass of wine with dinner is relatively innocuous and

should have no ill effect on you.

innovation N. /发明；变革 /change; introduction of something new. Although Richard liked to keep up with all the

latest technological innovations, he didn't always abandon tried and true techniques in favor of

something new. innovate,V.

innovative ADJ. /新奇的；创新的/novel; introducing a change. The establishment of our SAT I computer data base

has enabled us to come up with some innovative tactics for doing well on the SAT.

innuendo N. /暗示，旁敲击；暗；刺，冷嘲侧讽讽热讽/hint; insinuation. I can defend myself against direct accusations;

innuendos and oblique attacks on my character are what trouble me.

inopportune ADJ. / 不合宜的时 /untimely; poorly chosen. A rock concert is an inopportune setting for a quiet

conversation.

inordinate ADJ. /紊乱的；不受限制的/unrestrained; excessive. She had an inordinate fondness for candy, eating two

or three boxes in a single day.

inquisitor N. /调查者；盘问者 /questioner (especially harsh); investigator. Fearing being grilled ruthlessly by the

secret police, Masha faced her inquisitors with trepidation.

insalubriousADJ. / 有害的 /unwholesome; not healthful. The mosquito-ridden swamp was an insalubrious place, a

breeding ground for malarial contagion.

insatiable ADJ. /不容易伺候的；婪的贪 /not easily satisfied; unquenchable; greedy. David's appetite for oysters was

insatiable: he could easily eat four dozen at a single sitting.

inscrutable ADJ. /不可渗透的；不可理解的，谜 /impenetrable; not readily understood; mysterious. Experienced poker

players try to keep their expressions inscrutable, hiding their reactions to the cards behind a so-called

"poker face."

insensible ADJ. / 迟钝的；硬心肠的 /unconscious; unresponsive. Sherry and I are very different; at times when I

would be covered with embarrassment, she seems insensible to shame.

insidious ADJ. /阴险的，奸诈的，狡猾的；鬼鬼祟祟的/treacherous; stealthy; sly. The fifth column is insidious because

it works secretly within our territory for our defeat.

insightful ADJ. /有洞察力的/discerning; perceptive. Sol thought he was very insightful about human behavior, but

he was actually clueless as to why people acted the way they did.

insinuate V. /暗示，含沙射影；慢慢的取，巧妙的迂回（入）夺进 /hint; imply; creep in. When you said I looked robust,

did you mean to insinuate that I'm getting fat?

insipid ADJ. /索然无味的；单调的/lacking in flavor; dull. Flat prose and flat ginger ale are equally insipid: both

lack sparkle.

insolence N. /傲慢/impudent disrespect; haughtiness. How dare you treat me so rudely! The manager will hear of

your insolence. insolent,ADJ.

insolvent ADJ. /破产/bankrupt; unable to repay one's debts. Although young Lord Widgeon was insolvent, he had

no fear of being thrown into debtors' prison, for he was sure that if his creditors pressed him for

payment his wealthy parents would repay what he owed. insolvency, N.

insomnia N. /失眠/wakefulness; inability to sleep. He refused to join us in a midnight cup of coffee because he

claimed it gave him insomnia.

instigate V. / 驱使；激励，鼓动 /urge; start; provoke. Rumors of police corruption led the mayor to instigate an

investigation into the department's activities.

insubordination N. /反抗，不屈/disobedience; rebelliousness. At the slightest hint of insubordination from the

sailors of the Bounty, Captain Bligh had them flogged; finally, they mutinied.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

insubstantial ADJ. /无实体的，虚无的；脆弱的，不固的坚 /lacking substance; insignificant; frail. His hopes for a

career in acting proved insubstantial; no one would cast him, even in an insubstantial role.

insularity N. /与外界隔绝；僵化；思想狭窄/narrow-mindedness; isolation. The insularity of the islanders manifested

itself in their suspicion of anything foreign. insular,ADJ.

insulated ADJ. /分离；隔离/set apart; isolated. A well-to-do bachelor, James spent his money freely, insulated from

the cares of his friends, who had families to support.

insuperable ADJ. / 不可战胜的，不能克服的 /insurmountable; unbeatable. Though the odds against their survival

seemed insuperable, the Apollo 13 astronauts reached earth safely.

insurgent ADJ. /造反的，起的义 /rebellious. Because the insurgent forces had occupied the capital and had gained

control of the railway lines, several of the war correspondents covering the uprising predicted a rebel

victory.

insurmountable ADJ. / 不能克服的，不能超越的 /overwhelming; unbeatable; insuperable. Faced by almost

insurmountable obstacles, the members of the underground maintained their courage and will to

resist.

insurrection N. /谋反的，造反的/rebellion; uprising. In retrospect, given how badly the British treated the American

colonists, the eventual insurrection seems inevitable.

intangible ADJ. /难以明了的，无形的；暧昧的，模糊的/not able to be perceived by touch; vague. Though the financial

benefits of his Oxford post were meager, Lewis was drawn to it by its intangible rewards: prestige,

intellectual freedom, the fellowship of his peers.

integral ADJ. /一体的，完整的 /complete; necessary for completeness. Physical education is an integral part of

our curriculum; a sound mind and a sound body are complementary.

integrate V. /整合，合并/make whole; combine; make into one unit. She tried to integrate all their activities into

one program.

integrity N. / 完整性 /uprightness; wholeness. Lincoln, whose personal integrity has inspired millions, fought a

civil war to maintain the integrity of the Republic, that these United States might remain undivided for

all time.

intellect N. /智力/higher mental powers. He thought college would develop his intellect.

intelligentsia N. / 知识分子；知识界 /the intelligent and educated classes [often used derogatorily]. She

preferred discussions about sports and politics to the literary conversations of the intelligentsia.

intemperate ADJ. /过度的；极端的；放纵的/immoderate; excessive; extreme. In a temper, Tony refused to tone down

his intemperate remarks.

inter V. /埋/bury. They are going to inter the body tomorrow at Broadlawn Cemetery.

interim N. / 临时的；间歇的 /meantime. The company will not consider our proposal until next week; in the

interim, let us proceed as we have in the past.

interloper N. /闯入者；干涉者/intruder; unwanted meddler. The merchant thought of his competitors as interlopers

who were stealing away his trade.

interment N. /埋葬/burial. Interment will take place in the church cemetery at 2 P.M. Wednesday.

interminableADJ. /无尽的/endless. Although his speech lasted for only twenty minutes, it seemed interminable to his

bored audience.

intermittent ADJ. /间歇的；断断续续的/periodic; on and off. The outdoor wedding reception had to be moved indoors

to avoid the intermittent showers that fell on and off all afternoon.

interrogate V. /审问；讯问/question closely; cross-examine. Knowing that the Nazis would interrogate him about his

background, the secret agent invented a cover story that would help him meet their questions.

intervene V. /干；干涉预 /come between. When two close friends get into a fight, be careful if you try to intervene;

they may join forces to gang up on you.

intimacy N. / 亲密；隐私 /closeness, often affectionate; privacy; familiarity. In a moment of rare intimacy, the

mayor allowed the reporters a glimpse of his personal feelings about his family. intimate,ADJ.

intimate V. /私下的，秘密的，亲密的；宣告/hint; suggest. Was Dick intimating that Jane had bad breath when he

asked if she'd like a breath mint?

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

intimidate V. /使害怕/frighten. I'll learn karate and then those big bullies won't be able to intimidate me any more.

intractable ADJ. / 难以处理的 /unruly; stubborn; unyielding. Charlie Brown's friend Pigpen was intractable: he

absolutely refused to take a bath.

intransigence N. / 不妥协；不步让 /refusal of any compromise; stubbornness. The negotiating team had not

expected such intransigence from the striking workers, who rejected any hint of a compromise.

intransigent,ADJ.

intrepid ADJ. / 无畏的 /fearless. For her intrepid conduct nursing the wounded during the war, Florence

Nightingale was honored by Queen Victoria.

intricate ADJ. /复杂的；错综的/complex; knotty; tangled. Philip spent many hours designing mazes so intricate

that none of his classmates could solve them. intricacy, N.

intrinsic ADJ. / 内在的；固有的 /essential; inherent; built-in. Although my grandmother's china has little intrinsic

value, I shall always cherish it for the memories it evokes.

introspective ADJ. / 内省的；反省的 /looking within oneself. Though young Francis of Assisi led a wild and

worldly life, even then he had introspective moments during which he examined his soul. introvert

N. one who is introspective; inclined to think more about oneself. In his poetry, he reveals

that he is an introvert by his intense interest in his own problems. alsoV.

intrude V. /强挤入，侵入；强加于人 /trespass; enter as an uninvited person. She hesitated to intrude on their

conversation.

intuition N. / 直觉 /immediate insight; power of knowing without reasoning. Even though Tony denied that

anything was wrong, Tina trusted her intuition that something was bothering him. intuitive,ADJ.

inundate V. /淹没；吞并/overwhelm; flood; submerge. This semester I am inundated with work: You should see

the piles of paperwork flooding my desk. Until the great dam was built, the waters of the Nile used to

inundate the river valley like clockwork every year.

inured ADJ. /习了的，适了的惯应 /accustomed; hardened. She became inured to the Alaskan cold.

invalidate V. /摧毁；使无效；弱化/weaken; destroy. The relatives who received little or nothing sought to invalidate

the will by claiming that the deceased had not been in his right mind when he had signed the

document.

invasive ADJ. /入侵的/tending to spread aggressively; intrusive. Giving up our war with the invasive blackberry

vines that had taken over the back yard, we covered the lawn with concrete. invade,V.

invective N. / 谩骂；非难；恶言相加 /abuse. He had expected criticism but not the invective that greeted his

proposal. inveigh,V.

inverse ADJ. /倒转的/opposite. There is an inverse ratio between the strength of light and its distance.

invert V. /倒转，翻转/turn upside down or inside out. When he inverted his body in a handstand, he felt the

blood rush to his head. inveterate ADJ. deep-rooted; habitual. An inveterate smoker, Bob cannot

seem to break the habit, no matter how hard he tries.

invidious ADJ. /易招嫉的；不公平的妒 /designed to create ill will or envy. We disregarded her invidious remarks

because we realized how jealous she was.

invigorate V. /激发；鼓舞/energize; stimulate. A quick dip in the pool invigorated Meg, and with renewed energy

she got back to work.

Word List 27 invincible-laggard'

invincible ADJ. /无的敌 /unconquerable. Superman is invincible.

inviolable ADJ. / 无的；神不可亵的敌圣渎 /secure from corruption, attack, or violation; unassailable. Batman

considered his oath to keep the people of Gotham City inviolable: nothing on earth could make him

break this promise.

invocation N. /祈祷/prayer for help; calling upon as a reference or support. The service of Morning Prayer opens

with an invocation during which we ask God to hear our prayers.

invoke V. /恳请，借助于，找来，调用/call upon; ask for. She invoked her advisor's aid in filling out her financial

aid forms.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

invulnerableADJ. /无懈可击的/incapable of injury. Achilles was invulnerable except in his heel.

iota N. /极少量的/very small quantity. She hadn't an iota of common sense.

irascible ADJ. /易怒的；暴躁的/irritable; easily angered. Miss Minchin's irascible temper intimidated the younger

schoolgirls, who feared she'd burst into a rage at any moment.

irate ADJ. /愤怒的；生气的/angry. When John's mother found out he had overdrawn his checking account for

the third month in a row, she was so irate she could scarcely speak to him.

ire N. / 怒气 /anger. The waiter tried unsuccessfully to placate the ire of the diner who had found a

cockroach in her soup.

iridescent ADJ. /虹彩的/exhibiting rainbowlike colors. She admired the iridescent hues of the oil that floated on the

surface of the water.

irksome ADJ. / 令人恶的；冗乏味的厌长 /annoying; tedious. He found working on the assembly line irksome

because of the monotony of the operation he had to perform. irk,V.

ironic ADJ. / 刺性的/resulting in an unexpected and contrary outcome. It is ironic that his success came when

he least wanted it.

irony N. / 反话；讽刺/hidden sarcasm or satire; use of words that seem to mean the opposite of what they

actually mean. Gradually his listeners began to realize that the excessive praise he was lavishing on

his opponent was actually irony, he was in fact ridiculing the poor fool.

irrational ADJ. /无理的，缺乏逻的；不理智的辑 /illogical; lacking reason; insane. Many people have such an irrational

fear of snakes that they panic at the sight of a harmless garter snake.

irreconcilable ADJ. /不相容的；矛盾的/incompatible; not able to be resolved. Because the separated couple

were irreconcilable, the marriage counselor recommended a divorce.

irrefutable ADJ. /不可否的；不能倒的认驳 /indisputable; incontrovertible; undeniable. No matter how hard I tried to

find a good comeback for her argument, I couldn't think of one: her logic was irrefutable.

irrelevant ADJ. / 不相关的，不照号的 /not applicable; unrelated. No matter how irrelevant the patient's mumblings

may seem, they give us some indications of what he has on his mind.

irremediableADJ. / 不能挽回的；不能治愈的 /incurable; uncorrectable. The error she made was irremediable; she

could see no way to repair it.

irreparable ADJ. /不能弥的，不能修复的；无可挽救的补 /not able to be corrected or repaired. Your apology cannot

atone for the irreparable damage you have done to her reputation.

irrepressible ADJ. /压不住的，抑制不住的/unable to be restrained or held back. My friend Kitty's curiosity was

irrepressible: she poked her nose into everybody's business and just laughed when I warned her that

curiosity killed the cat.

irreproachable ADJ. /无可指的；没有缺点的责 /blameless; impeccable. Homer's conduct at the office party was

irreproachable; even Marge didn't have anything bad to say about how he behaved.

irresolute ADJ. /犹豫不决的/uncertain how to act; weak. Once you have made your decision, don't waver; a leader

should never appear irresolute.

irretrievable ADJ. /不能复原的；不能挽回的/impossible to recover or regain; irreparable. The left fielder tried to retrieve

the ball, but it flew over the fence, bounced off a wall, and fell into the sewer: it was irretrievable.

irreverence N. /不尊敬的/lack of proper respect. Some audience members were amused by the irreverence of the

comedian's jokes about the Pope; others felt offended by his lack of respect for their faith.

irreverent,ADJ.

irrevocable ADJ. /不能取消的；不能变更的 /unalterable; irreversible. As Sue dropped the "Dear John" letter into the

mailbox, she suddenly had second thoughts and wanted to take it back, but she could not: her action

was irrevocable.

itinerant ADJ. /巡回的/wandering; traveling. He was an itinerant peddler and traveled through Pennsylvania and

Virginia selling his wares. also N.

itinerary N. /旅行划；路计线 /plan of a trip. Disliking sudden changes in plans when she traveled abroad, Ethel

refused to make any alterations in her itinerary.

jabber V. /快速的说，含混不清的说/chatter rapidly or unintelligibly. Why does the fellow insist on jabbering away

in French when I can't understand a word he says?

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

jaded ADJ. /疲倦的/fatigued; surfeited. He looked for exotic foods to stimulate his jaded appetite.

jargon N. /黑话，行话，胡话/language used by a special group; technical terminology; gibberish. The computer

salesmen at the store used a jargon of their own that we simply couldn't follow; we had no idea what

they were jabbering about.

jaundiced ADJ. /患黄疸病的；有偏见的 /prejudiced (envious, hostile or resentful); yellowed. Because Sue disliked

Carolyn, she looked at Carolyn's paintings with a jaundiced eye, calling them formless smears.

Newborn infants afflicted with jaundice look slightly yellow: they have jaundiced skin.

jaunt N. /短途旅行/trip; short journey. He took a quick jaunt to Atlantic City.

jaunty ADJ. /无无虑的，快的，松的忧乐轻 /lighthearted; animated; easy and carefree. In An American in Paris,

Gene Kelly sang and danced his way through "Singing in the Rain" in a properly jaunty style.

jeopardize V. /置于危险之中/endanger; imperil; put at risk. You can't give me a D in chemistry: you'll jeopardize my

chances of getting into M.I.T. jeopardy, N.

jettison V. /投弃货物/throw overboard. In order to enable the ship to ride safely through the storm, the captain

had to jettison much of his cargo.

jingoist N. / 狂热好战分子；侵略主义者 /extremely aggressive and militant patriot; warlike chauvinist. Always

bellowing "America first!," the congressman was such a jingoist you could almost hear the sabers

rattling as he marched down the halls. jingoism, N.

jocose ADJ. /诙谐的/given to joking. The salesman was so jocose that many of his customers suggested that

he become a

stand-up" comic.

jocular ADJ. /诙谐的/said or done in jest. Although Bill knew the boss hated jokes, he couldn't resist making one

jocular remark.

jollity N. /高兴的；欢的乐 /gaiety; cheerfulness. The festive Christmas dinner was a merry one, and old and

young alike joined in the general jollity.

jostle V. /推，挤；撞/shove; bump. In the subway he was jostled by the crowds.

jovial ADJ. / 天性善良的；好的；高兴的，愉快的 /good-natured; merry. A frown seemed out of place on his

invariably jovial face.

jubilation N. /庆祝/rejoicing. There was great jubilation when the armistice was announced. jubilant,ADJ.

judicious ADJ. /公平的/sound in judgment; wise. At a key moment in his life, he made a judicious investment that

was the foundation of his later wealth.

juncture N. / 危机，转折点；关键点 /crisis; joining point. At this critical juncture, let us think carefully before

determining the course we shall follow.

junta N. / 小集团；政治团伙 /group of men joined in political intrigue; cabal. As soon as he learned of its

existence, the dictator ordered the execution of all of the members of the junta.

jurisprudence N. / 法学 /science of law. He was more a student of jurisprudence than a practitioner of the

law.

justification N. /有理，正当；辩护；释罪/good or just reason; defense; excuse. The jury found him guilty of the more

serious charge because they could see no possible justification for his actions,

kaleidoscope N. /万花筒/tube in which patterns made by the reflection in mirrors of colored pieces of glass,

etc., produce interesting symmetrical effects. People found a new source of entertainment while

peering through the kaleidoscope; they found the ever-changing patterns fascinating.

kernel N. /核心的/central or vital part; whole seed (as of corn). "Watson, buried within this tissue of lies there

is a kernel of truth; when I find it, the mystery will be solved."

killjoy N. /扫兴的人；煞风景/grouch; spoilsport. At breakfast we had all been enjoying our bacon and eggs until

that killjoy John started talking about how bad animal fats were for our health.

kindle V. /点燃，照亮，激起/start a fire; inspire. One of the first things Ben learned in the Boy Scouts was how

to kindle a fire by rubbing two dry sticks together. Her teacher's praise for her poetry kindled a spark

of hope inside Maya.

kindred ADJ. /同族的，同的；血的类缘 /related; belonging to the same family. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were

two kindred spirits. also N.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

kinetic ADJ. /运动的；运动学的/producing motion. Designers of the electric automobile find that their greatest

obstacle lies in the development of light and efficient storage batteries, the source of the kinetic

energy needed to propel the vehicle.

kleptomaniac N. /偷窃狂；盗窃癖 /person who has a compulsive desire to steal. They discovered that the

wealthy customer was a kleptomaniac when they caught her stealing some cheap trinkets.

knave N. / 流氓；无赖；恶棍 /untrustworthy person; rogue; scoundrel. Any politician nicknamed Tricky Dick

clearly has the reputation of a knave. knavery, N.

knit V. /编织；结合/contract into wrinkles; grow together. Whenever David worries, his brow knits in a frown.

When he broke his leg, he sat around the house all day waiting for the bones to knit.

knoll N. /小山包/little round hill. Robert Louis Stevenson's grave is on a knoll in Samoa; to reach the grave

site, you must climb uphill and walk a short distance along a marked path.

knotty ADJ. /复杂的，错综的；精细的/intricate; difficult; tangled. What to Watson had been a knotty problem, to

Sherlock Holmes was simplicity itself.

kudos N. /名望，声誉/honor; glory; praise. The singer complacently received kudos from his entourage on his

performance.

laborious ADJ. /艰苦的，勤劳的 /demanding much work or care; tedious. In putting together his dictionary of the

English language, Doctor Johnson undertook a laborious task.

labyrinth N. /迷 /maze. Hiding from Indian Joe, Tom and Becky soon lost themselves in the labyrinth of secret

underground caves. labyrinthine,ADJ.

laceration N. / 破口 /torn, ragged wound. The stock car driver needed stitches to close up the lacerations he

received in the car crash.

lachrymose ADJ. /爱哭的/producing tears. His voice has a lachrymose quality more appropriate to a funeral than a

class reunion.

lackadaisical ADJ. /懒洋洋的，没上进心的/lacking purpose or zest; halfhearted; languid. Because Gatsby had

his mind more on his love life than on his finances, he did a very lackadaisical job of managing his

money.

lackluster ADJ. /暗淡的，无光的；单的调 /dull. We were disappointed by the lackluster performance.

laconic ADJ. /简洁的 /brief and to the point. Many of the characters portrayed by Clint Eastwood are laconic

types: strong men of few words.

laggard ADJ. /缓慢的，迟缓的/slow; sluggish. The sailor had been taught not to be laggard in carrying out orders.

lag, N.,V.

Word List 28 lament-low

lament V. /悲伤，恸哭/grieve; express sorrow. Even advocates of the war lamented the loss of so many lives in

combat. lamentation, N.

lampoon V. / 刺的/ridicule. This article lampoons the pretensions of some movie moguls. also N.

languid ADJ. /疲倦的，无精打采的/weary; sluggish; listless. Her siege of illness left her languid and pallid.

languish V. /无力的，憔悴的/lose animation; lose strength. Left at Miss Minchin's school for girls while her father

went off to war, Sarah Crewe refused to languish; instead, she hid her grief and actively befriended

her less fortunate classmates.

languor N. /衰弱，萧条/lassitude; depression. His friends tried to overcome the languor into which he had fallen

by taking him to parties and to the theater.

lap V. /舔食，泼溅 /take in food or drink with one's tongue; splash gently. The kitten neatly lapped up her

milk. The waves softly lapped against the pier.

larceny N. /盗窃/theft. Because of the prisoner's record, the district attorney refused to reduce the charge from

grand larceny to petty larceny.

larder N. / 食品室；储藏室 /pantry; place where food is kept. The first thing Bill did on returning home from

school was to check what snacks his mother had in the larder.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

largess N. /赠送；赠礼/generous gift. Lady Bountiful distributed largess to the poor.

lassitude N. /疲乏/languor; weariness. After a massage and a long soak in the hot tub, I gave in to my growing

lassitude and lay down for a nap.

latent ADJ. / 潜在的 /potential but undeveloped; dormant; hidden. Polaroid pictures are popular at parties,

because you can see the latent photographic image gradually appear before your eyes.

lateral ADJ. / 面的，向的/coming from the side. In order to get good plant growth, the gardener must pinch off

all lateral shoots.

latitude N. /范围/freedom from narrow limitations. I think you have permitted your son too much latitude in this

matter.

laud V. / 赞美 /praise. The NFL lauded Boomer Esiason's efforts to raise money to combat cystic fibrosis.

laudable, laudatory,ADJ.

lavish ADJ. /浪费的，大方的/liberal; wasteful. The actor's lavish gifts pleased her. alsoV.

Iax ADJ. /粗心/careless. We dislike restaurants where the service is lax and inattentive.

leaven V. / 发酵/cause to rise or grow lighter; enliven. As bread dough is leavened, it puffs up, expanding in

volume.

lechery N. / 好色；动机不纯 /lustfulness; impurity in thought and deed. In his youth he led a life of lechery and

debauchery; he did not mend his ways until middle age. lecherous,ADJ.

leery ADJ. /机敏的；狡猾的 /suspicious; cautious. Don't eat the sushi at this restaurant; I'm a bit leery about

how fresh the raw fish is.

legacy N. /遗赠/a gift made by a will. Part of my legacy from my parents is an album of family photographs.

legend N. / 图例 /explanatory list of symbols on a map. The legend at the bottom of the map made it clear

which symbols stood for rest areas along the highway and which stood for public camp sites.

(secondary meaning)

legerdemainN. /戏法；花招/sleight of hand. The magician demonstrated his renowned legerdemain.

leniency N. / 温和；大，仁慈宽 /mildness; permissiveness. Considering the gravity of the offense, we were

surprised by the leniency of the sentence.

lethal ADJ. /致命的/deadly. It is unwise to leave lethal weapons where children may find them.

lethargic ADJ. /昏睡的；瞌睡的/drowsy; dull. The stuffy room made her lethargic: she felt as if she was about to

nod off.

levitate V. /升空漂浮（魔法）/float in the air (especially by magical means). As the magician passed his hands

over the recumbent body of his assistant, she appeared to rise and levitate about three feet above

the table.

levity N. / 轻佻，轻浮 /lack of seriousness; lightness. Stop giggling and wriggling around in the pew: such

levity is improper in church.

levy V. /征收/impose (a fine); collect (a payment). Crying "No taxation without representation," the colonists

demonstrated against England's power to levy taxes.

lewd ADJ. /淫荡的，下流的，好色的；猥亵的/lustful. They found his lewd stories objectionable.

lexicographer N. /字典编纂者/compiler of a dictionary. The new dictionary is the work of many lexicographers

who spent years compiling and editing the work.

lexicon N. /字典/dictionary. I cannot find this word in any lexicon in the library.

liability N. / 责任；缺点；债/drawback; debts. Her lack of an extensive vocabulary was a liability that she was

eventually able to overcome.

liaison N. / 联络；连音 /contact keeping parts of an organization in communication; go-between; secret love

affair. As the liaison between the American and British forces during World War II, the colonel had to

ease tensions between the leaders of the two armies. Romeo's romantic liaison with Juliet ended in

tragedy.

libel N. / 诽谤；中伤 /defamatory statement; act of writing something that smears a person's character. If

Batman wrote that the Joker was a dirty, 'rotten, mass-murdering criminal, could the Joker sue

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

Batman for libel?

liberator N. /解放者 /one who sets free. Simon Bolivar, who led the South American colonies in their rebellion

against Spanish rule, is known as the great liberator. liberate,V.

libretto N. / 歌，剧本（舞剧，歌剧的）词 /text of an opera. The composer of an opera's music is remembered

more frequently than the author of its libretto.

licentious ADJ. /不道德的；下流的；放的纵 /amoral; lewd and lascivious; unrestrained. Unscrupulously seducing the

daughter of his host, Don Juan felt no qualms about the immorality of his licentious behavior.

lilliputian ADJ. /极小的/extremely small. Tiny and delicate, the model was built on a lilliputian scale. also N.

limber ADJ. /柔的；可塑的韧 /flexible. Hours of ballet classes kept him limber.

limerick N. / 五行打油诗 /humorous short verse. The limerick form is the best; its meter is pure anapest. A

limerick's fun for most everyone, and the word may occur on your test.

limpid ADJ. /清澈/clear. A limpid stream ran through his property.

linchpin N. /关键/something that holds or links various parts together. The linchpin in the district attorney's case

was a photograph showing the defendant shaking hands with the hired killer.

lineage N. /血统/descent; ancestry. He traced his lineage back to Mayflower days.

linger V. /逗留；闲逛；流连/loiter or dawdle; continue or persist. Hoping to see Juliet pass by, Romeo lingered

outside the Capulet house for hours. Though Mother made stuffed cabbage on Monday, the smell

lingered around the house for days.

linguistic ADJ. /语言的/pertaining to language. The modern tourist will encounter very little linguistic difficulty as

English has become an almost universal language.

liniment N. / 药膏；擦油 /ointment; lotion; salve. The trainer carefully applied the liniment to the quarterback's

bruise, gently rubbing it into the skin.

lionize V. /奉为名人；游览名胜/treat as a celebrity. She enjoyed being lionized and adored by the public.

liquidate V. /清算/settle accounts; clearup. He was able to liquidate all his debts in a short period of time.

list V. / 倾斜 /tilt; lean over. That flagpole should be absolutely vertical; instead, it lists to one side.

(secondary meaning)

listless ADJ. /倦怠的，冷漠的/lacking in spirit or energy. We had expected him to be full of enthusiasm and were

surprised by his listless attitude.

litany N. /连续虔诚的祈祷/supplicatory prayer. On this solemn day, the congregation responded to the prayers

of the priest during the litany with fervor and intensity.

lithe ADJ. /柔的/flexible; supple. Her figure was lithe and willowy.

litigation N. /诉讼/lawsuit. Try to settle this amicably; I do not want to become involved in litigation. litigant, N.

livid ADJ. /铅灰色的；青一块紫一块的；暴怒的/lead-colored; black and blue; enraged. His face was so livid with

rage that we were afraid that he might have an attack of apoplexy.

loath ADJ. /不情愿的；勉强/reluctant; disinclined. Romeo and Juliet were both loath for him to go.

loathe V. /厌恶；增武/detest. Booing and hissing, the audience showed how much they loathed the wicked

villain.

lofty ADJ. /高高在上的/very high. Though Barbara Jordan's fellow students used to tease her about her lofty

ambitions, she rose to hold one of the highest positions in the land.

log N. /日志；圆木/record of a voyage or flight; record of day to day activities. "Flogged two seamen today

for insubordination" wrote Captain Bligh in the Bounty's log. To see how much work I've accomplished

recently, just take a look at the number of new files listed on my computer log.

loiter V. / 逛；徘徊闲 /hang around; linger. The policeman told him not to loiter in the alley.

loll V. /懒洋洋的坐或靠/lounge about. They lolled around in their chairs watching television.

longevity N. /长命不老/long life. When he reached ninety, the old man was proud of his longevity.

loom V. /织布机/appear or take shape (usually in an enlarged or distorted form). The shadow of the gallows

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

loomed threateningly above the small boy.

lope V. /慢跑/gallop slowly. As the horses loped along, we had an opportunity to admire the ever-changing

scenery. loquacious ADJ. talkative. Though our daughter barely says a word to us these days,

put a phone in her hand and see how loquacious she can be: our phone bills are out of sight!

loquacity, N.

lout N. /笨人，呆子/clumsy person. That awkward lout dropped my priceless vase!

low V. /牛叫，哞/moo. From the hilltop, they could see the herd like ants in the distance; they could barely

hear the cattle low.

Word List 29 lucid-maul

lucid ADJ. / 明晰的；聪明的 /easily understood; clear; intelligible. Ellen makes an excellent teacher: her

explanations of technical points are lucid enough for a child to grasp.

lucrative ADJ. /有利润的/profitable. He turned his hobby into a lucrative profession.

ludicrous ADJ. /可笑的，滑稽的；不重要的/laughable; trifling. Let us be serious; this is not a ludicrous issue.

lugubrious ADJ. /悲哀的/mournful. The lugubrious howling of the dogs added to our sadness.

lull N. /平静，安静，暂停，短暂的平息/moment of calm. Not wanting to get wet, they waited under the awning

for a lull in the rain.

lull V. /安抚，平静；取信任，使其失去警惕换 /soothe; cause one to relax one's guard; subside. The mother's

gentle song lulled the child to sleep. Malcolm tried to come up with a plausible story to lull his

mother's suspicions, but she didn't believe a word he said.

lumber V. / 笨重的往前走 /move heavily or clumsily. Still somewhat torpid after its long hibernation, the bear

lumbered through the woods.

luminary N. / 名气，尊严 /celebrity; dignitary. A leading light of the American stage, Ethel Barrymore was a

theatrical luminary whose name lives on.

luminous ADJ. /发光的，闪耀的/shining; issuing light. The sun is a luminous body.

lummox N. / 大而笨重的（通常指人） /big, clumsy, often stupid person. Because he was highly overweight and

looked ungainly, John Candy often was cast as a slow-witted lummox.

lunar ADJ. /月亮的/pertaining to the moon. Lunar craters can plainly seen with the aid of a small telescope.

lunge V. / 突进，刺，冲 /quick forward dive or reach; thrust. The wide receiver lunged forward to grab the

football. With his sword, Dartagnan lunged at his adversary.

lurid ADJ. /耸人听闻的；可怕的；惨白的；血红的/wild; sensational; graphic; gruesome. Do the lurid cover stories

in the Enquirer actually attract people to buy that trashy tabloid?

lurk V. / 埋伏 /stealthily lie in waiting; slink; exist unperceived. "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of

men? The Shadow knows."

luscious ADJ. /美味的，甜美的/pleasing to taste or smell. The ripe peach was luscious.

luster N. /光；光彩泽 /shine; gloss. The soft luster of the silk in the dim light was pleasing.

lustrous ADJ. /闪耀的/shining. Her large and lustrous eyes lent a touch of beauty to an otherwise plain face.

luxuriant ADJ. /丰富的，富足的；丰富多彩；肥沃的/abundant; rich and splendid; fertile. Lady Godiva was completely

covered by her luxuriant hair.

machinations N. /阴谋，诡计/evil schemes or plots. Fortunately, Batman saw through the wily machinations

of the Riddler and saved Gotham City from destruction by the forces of evil.

madrigal N. /小曲；牧歌/pastoral song. His program of folk songs included several madrigals which he sang to

the accompaniment of a lute.

maelstrom N. /漩涡/whirlpool. The canoe was tossed about in the maelstrom.

magnanimous ADJ. / 宽宏大量的 /generous; great-hearted. Philanthropists by definition are magnanimous;

misers, by definition, are not. Cordelia was too magnanimous to resent her father's unkindness to

her; instead, she generously forgave him. magnanimity, N.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

magnate N. /富豪，要人；突出的人物，XX大王/person of prominence or influence. Growing up in Pittsburgh, Annie

Dillard was surrounded by the mansions of the great steel and coal magnates who set their mark on

that city.

magnitude N. /巨大的，大数量级的/ greatness; extent. It is difficult to comprehend the magnitude of his crime.

maim V. /伤害/mutilate; injure. The hospital could not take care of all who had been wounded or maimed in

the railroad accident.

maladroit ADJ. /搞砸的；笨拙的 /clumsy; bungling. How maladroit it was of me to mention seeing you out partying

last night! From the look on his face, I take it that your boyfriend thought you were otherwise

occupied.

malady N. / 疾病 /illness. A mysterious malady swept the country, filling doctors' offices with feverish, purple-

spotted patients.

malaise N. /不适，欠佳/uneasiness; vague feeling of ill health. Feeling slightly queasy before going onstage,

Carol realized that this touch of malaise was merely stage fright.

malapropism N. /可笑的用词错误/comic misuse of a word. When Mrs. Malaprop accuses Lydia of being "as

headstrong as an allegory on the banks of the Nile," she confuses "allegory" and "alligator" in a

typical malapropism.

malcontent N. /不的；不状的满满现 /person dissatisfied with existing state of affairs. One of the few malcontents in

Congress, he constantly voiced his objections to the presidential program. alsoADJ.

malediction N. / 诅咒 /curse. When the magic mirror revealed that Snow White was still alive, the wicked queen

cried out in rage and uttered dreadful maledictions.

malefactor N. /犯罪分子/evildoer; criminal. Mighty Mouse will save the day, hunting down malefactors and rescuing

innocent mice from peril.

malevolent ADJ. /坏心肠的/wishing evil. lago is a malevolent villain who takes pleasure in ruining Othello.

malfeasance N. / 渎职；不法行为 /wrongdoing. The authorities did not discover the campaign manager's

malfeasance until after he had spent most of the money he had embezzled.

malicious ADJ. /恶毒的 /hateful; spiteful. Jealous of Cinderella's beauty, her malicious stepsisters expressed their

spite by forcing her to do menial tasks. malice, N.

malign V. /毒辣的言语；诽谤/speak evil of; bad-mouth; defame. Putting her hands over her ears, Rose refused

to listen to Betty malign her friend Susan.

malignant ADJ. /恶性的，伤害的；致命的/injurious; tending to cause death; aggressively malevolent. Though many

tumors are benign, some are malignant, growing out of control and endangering the life of the patient.

malingerer N. /装病的人；假病号/one who feigns illness to escape duty. The captain ordered the sergeant to punish

all malingerers and force them to work. malinger,V.

malleable ADJ. /有延展性的；可锻的/capable of being shaped by pounding; impressionable. Gold is a malleable

metal, easily shaped into bracelets and rings. Fagin hoped Oliver was a malleable lad, easily shaped

into a thief.

malodorous ADJ. /恶臭的/foul-smelling. The compost heap was most malodorous in summer.

mammal N. /哺乳动物/a vertebrate animal whose female suckles its young. Many people regard the whale as a

fish and do not realize that it is a mammal.

mammoth ADJ. / 巨大的 /gigantic; enormous. To try to memorize every word on this vocabulary list would be a

mammoth undertaking; take on projects that are more manageable in size.

mandate N. / 委任；命令 /order; charge. In his inaugural address, the president stated that he had a mandate

from the people to seek an end to social evils such as poverty. alsoV.

mandatory ADJ. / 强制的，命令的；义不容辞的 /obligatory. These instructions are mandatory, any violation will be

severely punished.

maniacal ADJ. /疯狂的；无理智的/raging mad; insane. Though Mr. Rochester had locked his mad wife in the attic,

he could still hear her maniacal laughter echoing throughout the house.

manifest ADJ. / 明白的，显然的；证明，表现 /evident; visible; obvious. Digby's embarrassment when he met

Madonna was manifest: his ears turned bright pink, he kept scuffing one shoe in the dirt, and he

couldn't look her in the eye.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

manifesto N. /声明/declaration; statement of policy. The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels proclaimed

the principles of modern communism.

manipulate v, / 操作 /operate with one's hands; control or play upon (people, forces, etc.) artfully. Jim Henson

understood how to manipulate the Muppets. Madonna understands how to manipulate men (and

publicity).

mannered ADJ. /做作的，矫的饰 /affected; not natural. Attempting to copy the style of his wealthy neighbors, Gatsby

adopted a mannered, artificial way of speech.

marital ADJ. / 婚姻的/pertaining to marriage. After the publication of his book on marital affairs, he was often

consulted by married people on the verge of divorce.

maritime ADJ. /海事的，海运的，海上的/bordering on the sea; nautical. The Maritime Provinces depend on the sea

for their wealth.

marked ADJ. / 值得注意的；报仇的目标 /noticeable or pronounced; targeted for vengeance. He walked with a

marked limp, a souvenir of an old I.R.A. attack. As British ambassador, he knew he was a marked

man, for he knew the Irish Republican Army wanted him dead.

marquee N. /建筑物入口处的雨棚，遮蔽物/canopy above an entrance, under which one can take shelter; rooflike

shelter above a theater entrance. On stormy days, the hotel doorman keeps dry by standing directly

beneath the marquee. The title of Arthur Kopit's play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Momma's Hung You in the

Closet and I'm Feeling So Sad was too long to fit on the marquee.

marred ADJ. /受的损 /damaged; disfigured. She had to refinish the marred surface of the table. mar,V.

marshal V. /排序；整理/put in order. At a debate tournament, extemporaneous speakers have only a minute or

two to marshal their thoughts before they address their audience.

marsupial N. /有袋哺乳动物（袋鼠、袋熊、袋狼） /one of a family of mammals that nurse their offspring in a pouch.

The most common marsupial in North America is the opossum.

martial ADJ. / 好战的；尚武的 /warlike. The sound of martial music inspired the young cadet with dreams of

military glory.

martinet N. /严格纪律的人/strict disciplinarian. No talking at meals! No mingling with the servants! Miss Minchin

was a martinet who insisted that the schoolgirls in her charge observe each regulation to the letter.

martyr N./殉道者；殉教者；烈士/ one who voluntarily suffers death for his or her religion or cause; great sufferer.

By burning her at the stake, the English made Joan of Arc a martyr for her faith. Mother played the

martyr by staying home cleaning the house while the rest of the family went off to the beach.

masochist N. /受虐狂/person who enjoys his own pain. The masochist begs, "Hit me." The sadist smiles and says,

"I won't."

material ADJ. / 物的；重要的质 /made of physical matter; unspiritual; important. Probing the mysteries of this

material world has always fascinated physicist George Whitesides. Reporters nicknamed Madonna

the Material Girl because, despite her name, she seemed wholly uninterested in spiritual values.

Lexy's active participation made a material difference to the success of the fund-raiser.

materialism N. /唯物主义/preoccupation with physical comforts and things. By its nature, materialism is opposed to

idealism, for where the materialist emphasizes the needs of the body, the idealist emphasizes the

needs of the soul.

maternal ADJ. /母性的/motherly. Many animals display maternal instincts only while their offspring are young and

helpless.

matriarch N. /女家；掌管全家的老太婆长 /woman who rules a family or larger social group. The matriarch ruled her

gypsy tribe with a firm hand.

matriculate V. /入学/enroll (in college or graduate school). Incoming students formally matriculate at our college in

a special ceremony during which they sign the official register of students.

maudlin ADJ. / 多愁善感 /effusively sentimental. Whenever a particularly maudlin tearjerker was playing at the

movies, Marvin would embarrass himself by weeping copiously.

maul V. /粗手粗脚的处理/handle roughly. The rock star was mauled by his over-excited fans.

Word List 30 maverick-misrepresent

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

maverick N. / 没打烙印的动物；闹独立的人；非国教徒；造反者 /rebel; nonconformist. To the masculine literary

establishment, George Sand with her insistence on wearing trousers and smoking cigars was clearly

a maverick who fought her proper womanly role.

mawkish ADJ. /过分多愁善感；感情脆弱到令人作呕的 /mushy and gushy; icky-sticky sentimental; maudlin. Whenever

Gigi and her boyfriend would sigh and get all lovey-dovey, her little brother would shout, "Yuck!"

protesting their mawkish behavior.

maxim N. /至理名言；格言/proverb; a truth pithily stated. Aesop's fables illustrate moral maxims.

meager ADJ. /瘦的；贫乏的，不足的 /scanty; inadequate. Still hungry after his meager serving of porridge, Oliver

Twist asked for a second helping.

meander V. /弯曲；蜿蜒/wind or turn in its course. Needing to stay close to a source of water, he followed every

twist and turn of the stream as it meandered through the countryside.

meddlesome ADJ. /爱管闲事的；好事的；好插手的/interfering. He felt his marriage was suffering because of his

meddlesome mother-in-law.

mediate V. / 调解；仲裁 /settle a dispute through the services of an outsider. King Solomon was asked to

mediate a dispute between two women, each of whom claimed to be the mother of the same child.

mediocre ADJ. / 普通的，一般的 /ordinary; commonplace. We were disappointed because he gave a rather

mediocre performance in this role.

meditation N. /沉思冥想/reflection; thought. She reached her decision only after much meditation.

medley N. /混合/mixture. To avoid boring dancers by playing any one tune for too long, bands may combine

three or four tunes into a medley.

meek ADJ. / 谦卑的，驯服的；温和的；顺从的 /quiet and obedient; spiritless. Can Lois Lane see through

Superman's disguise and spot the superhero hiding behind the guise of meek, timorous Clark Kent?

Mr. Barrett never expected his meek daughter would dare to defy him by eloping with her suitor.

melancholy ADJ. /忧郁/gloomy; morose; blue. To Eugene, stuck in his small town, a train whistle was a melancholy

sound, for it made him think of all the places he would never get to see.

mellifluous ADJ. /优美的；流畅的；蜜一样的/sweetly or smoothly flowing; melodious. Italian is a mellifluous language,

especially suited to being sung.

membrane N. / （动植物的）膜，薄膜 /thin soft sheet of animal or vegetable tissue. Each individual section of an

orange is covered with a thin, transparent membrane. membranous,ADJ.

memento N. /有象征意义的物品；纪念品/token; reminder. Take this book as a memento of your visit.

menagerie N. /动物园/collection of wild animals. Whenever the children run wild around the house, Mom shouts,

"Calm down! I'm not running a menagerie!"

mendacious ADJ. /撒谎成性的；撒谎的，假的/lying; habitually dishonest. Distrusting Huck from the start, Miss Watson

assumed he was mendacious and refused to believe a word he said.

mendicant N. /乞丐/beggar. "O noble sir, give alms to the poor," cried Aladdin, playing the mendicant.

menial ADJ. /仆人的；卑贱的/suitable for servants; lowly; mean. Her wicked stepmother forced Cinderella to do

menial tasks around the house while her ugly stepsisters lolled around painting their toenails.

mentor N. /门特；顾问；导师/teacher. During this very trying period, she could not have had a better mentor, for

the teacher was sympathetic and understanding.

mercenary ADJ. /唯利是图/interested in money or gain. Andy's every act was prompted by mercenary motives: his

first question was always "What's in it for me?"

mercurial ADJ. /善变的；无常的 /capricious; changing; fickle. Quick as quicksilver to change, he was mercurial in

nature and therefore unreliable.

merger N. / 合并；吞并 /combination (of two business corporations). When the firm's president married the

director of financial planning, the office joke was that it wasn't a marriage, it was a merger.

mesmerize V. /施催眠术/hypnotize. The incessant drone seemed to mesmerize him and place him in a trance.

metallurgical ADJ. / 冶金的 /pertaining to the art of removing metals from ores. During the course of his

metallurgical research, the scientist developed a steel alloy of tremendous strength.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

metamorphosis N. /变形/change of form; major transformation. The metamorphosis of caterpillar to butterfly is

typical of many such changes in animal life. metamorphose,V.

metaphor N. /隐喻/implied comparison. "He soared like an eagle" is an example of a simile; "He is an eagle in

flight," a metaphor.

metaphysical ADJ. /形而上学的 /pertaining to speculative philosophy. The modern poets have gone back to

the fanciful poems of the metaphysical poets of the seventeenth century for many of their images.

metaphysics, N.

methodical ADJ. /方法的；系化的论统 /systematic. An accountant must be methodical and maintain order among his

financial records.

meticulous ADJ. / 小心翼翼的 /excessively careful; painstaking; scrupulous. Martha Stewart was a meticulous

housekeeper, fussing about each and every detail that went into making up her perfect home.

metropolis N. /大都会/large city. Every evening the terminal is filled with thousands of commuters going from this

metropolis to their homes in the suburbs.

mettle N. / 勇气；精神 /courage; spirit. When challenged by the other horses in the race, the thoroughbred

proved its mettle by its determination to hold the lead.

miasma N. /沼气；瘴气，毒气；天然气/swamp gas; heavy, vaporous atmosphere, often emanating from decaying

matter; pervasive corrupting influence. The smog hung over Victorian London like a dark cloud;

noisome, reeking of decay, it was a visible miasma.

microcosm N. /微观世界/small world; the world in miniature. The small village community that Jane Austen depicts

serves as a microcosm of English society in her time, for in this small world we see all the social

classes meeting and mingling.

migrant ADJ. /移居的；候鸟的/changing its habitat; wandering. These migrant birds return every spring. also N.

migratory ADJ. /迁徙的；流浪的/wandering. The return of the migratory birds to the northern sections of this country

is a harbinger of spring. migrate,V.

milieu N. / 环境；（社会）背景 /environment; means of expression. Surrounded by smooth preppies and arty

bohemians, the country boy from Smalltown, USA, felt out of his milieu. Although he has produced

excellent oil paintings and lithographs, his proper milieu is watercolor.

militant ADJ. / 好战的 /combative; bellicose. Although at this time he was advocating a policy of neutrality, one

could usually find him adopting a more militant attitude. also N.

mimicry N. / 模仿 /imitation. Her gift for mimicry was so great that her friends said that she should be in the

theater.

mincing ADJ. /装腔作势的/affectedly dainty. Yum-Yum walked across the stage with mincing steps.

minuscule ADJ. /极小的/extremely small. Why should I involve myself with a project with so minuscule a chance for

success?

minute ADJ. / 极小的 /extremely small. The twins resembled one another closely; only minute differences set

them apart.

minutiae N. / ；微之细节细处/petty details. She would have liked to ignore the minutiae of daily living.

mirage N. / 曲解；海市蜃楼；虚影 /unreal reflection; optical illusion. The lost prospector was fooled by a mirage in

the desert.

mire V. /陷入（泥塘）；麻烦缠身/entangle; stick in swampy ground. Their rear wheels became mired in mud.

also N.

mirth N. /欢笑/merriment; laughter. Sober Malvolio found Sir Toby's mirth improper.

misanthrope N. /厌恶人类的人；憎人者/one who hates mankind. In Gulliver's Travels, Swift portrays an image

of humanity as vile, degraded beasts; for this reason, various critics consider him a misanthrope.

misapprehension N. /错误；误解 /error; misunderstanding. To avoid misapprehension, I am going to ask all of

you to repeat the instructions I have given.

miscellany N. /杂记/mixture of writings on various subjects. This is an interesting miscellany of nineteenth-century

prose and poetry.

mischance N. /霉运；不幸/ill luck. By mischance, he lost his week's salary.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

misconception N. /误解 /mistaken idea. "Sir, you are suffering from a misconception. I do not wish to marry

you in the least!"

misconstrueV. / 曲解 /interpret incorrectly; misjudge. She took the passage seriously rather than humorously

because she misconstrued the author's ironic tone.

misdemeanor N. /轻罪/minor crime. The culprit pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor rather than face trial for a

felony.

miserly ADJ. / 吝啬的；贪婪的；坏的 /stingy; mean. Transformed by his vision on Christmas Eve, mean old

Scrooge ceased being miserly and became a generous, kind old man.

misgivings N. / 担忧，疑虑 /doubts. Hamlet described his misgivings to Horatio but decided to fence with Laertes

despite his foreboding of evil.

mishap N. /意外，难灾 /accident. With a little care you could have avoided this mishap.

misnomer N. /错误的名字；写错名字；用词不当/wrong name; incorrect designation. His tyrannical conduct proved to

all that his nickname, King Eric the Just, was a misnomer.

misrepresent V. / 误传；有意制造误解 /give a false or incorrect impression, often deliberately; serve

unsatisfactorily as a representative. In his job application, Milton misrepresented his academic

background; he was fired when his employers discovered the truth. The reformers accused Senator

Gunbucks of misrepresenting his constituents and claimed he took bribes from the NRA.

Word List 31 missile-natty

missile N. /投掷物/object to be thrown or projected. After carefully folding his book report into a paper airplane,

Beavis threw the missile across the classroom at Butthead. Rocket scientists are building guided

missiles; Beavis and Butthead can barely make unguided ones.

missive N. /信件/letter. The ambassador received a missive from the secretary of state.

mite N. /小东西；小硬币/very small object or creature; small coin. Gnats are annoying mites that sting.

mitigate V. /减轻；减缓；中和/appease; moderate. Nothing Jason did could mitigate Medea's anger; she refused

to forgive him for betraying her.

mnemonic ADJ. /记忆的/pertaining to memory. He used mnemonic tricks to master new words.

mobile ADJ. / 移动的 /movable; not fixed. The mobile blood bank operated by the Red Cross visited our

neighborhood today. mobility, N.

mock V. / 嘲弄，嘲笑 /ridicule; imitate, often in derision. It is unkind to mock anyone; it is stupid to mock

anyone significantly bigger than you. mockery, N.

mode N. /时尚；方式；模式/prevailing style; manner; way of doing something. The rock star had to have her

hair done in the latest mode: frizzed, with occasional moussed spikes for variety. Henry plans to

adopt a simpler mode of life: he is going to become a mushroom hunter and live off the land.

modicum N. / 少量 /limited quantity. Although his story is based on a modicum of truth, most of the events he

describes are fictitious.

modulate V. /控制；制到准；制（信号）调标调 /tone down in intensity; regulate; change from one key to another.

Always singing at the top of her lungs, the budding Brunhilde never learned to modulate her voice.

molecule N. / 分子 /the smallest particle (one or more atoms) of a substance, having all the properties of that

substance. In chemistry, we study how atoms and molecules react to form new substances.

mollify V. /平息；安抚/soothe. The airline customer service representative tried to mollify the angry passenger

by offering her a seat in first class.

molt V. /换毛；褪毛/shed or cast off hair or feathers. When Molly's canary molted, he shed feathers all over

the house.

molten ADJ. /融化了的/melted. The city of Pompeii was destroyed by volcanic ash rather than by molten lava

flowing from Mount Vesuvius.

momentous ADJ. /非常重要的/very important. When Marie and Pierre Curie discovered radium, they had no idea of

the momentous impact their discovery would have upon society.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

momentum N. / 动量；动力 /quantity of motion of a moving body; impetus. The car lost momentum as it tried to

ascend the steep hill.

monarchy N. /君主制；君主整体 /government under a single ruler. Though England today is a monarchy, there is

some question whether it will be one in twenty years, given the present discontent at the prospect of

Prince Charles as king.

monastic ADJ. /僧侣的；遁入空门的，不问世事 /related to monks or monasteries; removed from worldly concerns.

Withdrawing from the world, Thomas Merton joined a contemplative religious order and adopted the

monastic life.

monetary ADJ. /金融的/pertaining to money. Jane held the family purse strings: she made all monetary decisions

affecting the household.

monochromatic ADJ. /单色的 /having only one color. Most people who are color blind actually can distinguish

several colors; some, however, have a truly monochromatic view of a world all in shades of gray.

monolithic ADJ. /单片的，单块的；一体不动摇的 /solidly uniform; unyielding. Knowing the importance of appearing

resolute, the patriots sought to present a monolithic front.

monosyllabic ADJ. / 单音节的 /having only one syllable. No matter what he was asked, the taciturn New

Englander answered with a monosyllabic "Yep" or "Nope." monosyllable, N.

monotony N. /千篇一律的 /sameness leading to boredom. What could be more deadly dull than the monotony of

punching numbers into a computer hour after hour?

montage N. /蒙太奇/photographic composition combining elements from different sources. In one early montage,

Beauchamp brought together pictures of broken mannequins and newspaper clippings about the

Vietnam War.

monumentalADJ. /雄的；厚重的；实的；念的伟结纪 /massive. Writing a dictionary is a monumental task.

moodiness N. /闷闷不乐 /fits of depression or gloom. Her recurrent moodiness left her feeling as if she had fallen

into a black hole.

moratorium N. /延期偿还 /legal delay of payment. If we declare a moratorium and delay collection of debts for six

months, I am sure the farmers will be able to meet their bills.

morbid ADJ. / 病的，恐怖的；喜怒无常的；不成熟的态 /given to unwholesome thought; moody; characteristic of

disease. People who come to disaster sites just to peer at the grisly wreckage are indulging their

morbid curiosity.

mores N. /风俗习惯/conventions; moral standards; customs. In America, Benazir Bhutto dressed as Western

women did; in Pakistan, however, she followed the mores of her people, dressing in traditional veil

and robes.

moribund ADJ. /垂死的/dying. Hearst took a moribund, failing weekly newspaper and transformed it into one of the

liveliest, most profitable daily papers around.

morose ADJ. /郁闷的；乖僻的/ill-humored; sullen; melancholy. Forced to take early retirement, Bill acted morose

for months; then, all of a sudden, he shook off his sullen mood and was his usual cheerful self.

mortician N. /殡仪业者/undertaker. The mortician prepared the corpse for burial.

mortify V. /侮辱；体罚/humiliate; punish the flesh. She was so mortified by her blunder that she ran to her room

in tears.

mosaic N. /马赛克/picture made of colorful small inlaid tiles. The mayor compared the city to a beautiful mosaic

made up of people of every race and religion on earth.

mote N. /小半点/small speck. The tiniest mote in the eye is very painful.

motif N. /主旨，本意；动机/theme. This simple motif runs throughout the entire score.

motley ADJ. /多彩的，杂色的；混合的/multi-colored; mixed. The jester wore a motley tunic, red and green and

blue and gold all patched together haphazardly. Captain Ahab had gathered a motley crew to sail the

vessel: old sea dogs and runaway boys, pillars of the church and drunkards, even a tattooed islander

who terrified the rest of the crew.

mottled ADJ. /有斑点的；弄脏的/blotched in coloring; spotted. When old Falstaff blushed, his face was mottled

with embarrassment, all pink and purple and red.

muddle V. /迷惑的；乱了的，混淆了的搞 /confuse; mix up. His thoughts were muddled and chaotic. also N.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

muggy ADJ. /又热又潮的（天气）/warm and damp. August in New York City is often muggy.

multifacetedADJ. / 多面的 /having many aspects. A multifaceted composer, Roger Davidson has recorded original

pieces that range from ragtime tangos to choral masses.

multifarious ADJ. / 多样的；各式各样的 /varied; greatly diversified. A career woman and mother, she was constantly

busy with the multifarious activities of her daily life.

multiform ADJ. /多态的/having many forms. Snowflakes are multiform but always hexagonal.

multilingual ADJ. /多语种的/having many languages. Because they are bordered by so many countries, the Swiss

people are multilingual.

multiplicity N. /多样性/state of being numerous. He was appalled by the multiplicity of details he had to complete

before setting out on his mission.

mundane ADJ. /世俗的；日常的/worldly as opposed to spiritual; everyday. Uninterested in philosophical or spiritual

discussions, Tom talked only of mundane matters such as the daily weather forecast or the latest

basketball results.

munificent ADJ. /宽宏大量的；慷慨大方的 /very generous. Shamelessly fawning over a particularly generous donor,

the dean kept on referring to her as "our munificent benefactor." munificence, N.

mural N. /壁画/wall painting. The walls of the Chicano Community Center are covered with murals painted in

the style of Diego Rivera, the great Mexican artist.

murky ADJ. / 暗的，模糊的，昧的暧 /dark and gloomy; thick with fog; vague. The murky depths of the swamp

were so dark that one couldn't tell the vines and branches from the snakes.

muse V. / 沉思 /ponder. For a moment he mused about the beauty of the scene, but his thoughts soon

changed as he recalled his own personal problems. also N.

mushroom V. /膨胀，迅速生长/expand or grow rapidly. Between 1990 and 1999, the population of Silicon Valley

mushroomed; with the rapidly increasing demand for housing, home prices skyrocketed as well.

musky ADJ. /麝香味儿的/having the odor of musk. She left a trace of musky perfume behind her.

muster V. /收集；集合/gather; assemble. Washington mustered his forces at Trenton. also N.

musty ADJ. /陈腐的，变质的；时间长损失品质的/stale; spoiled by age. The attic was dark and musty.

mutability N. / 变化能力 /ability to change in form; fickleness. Going from rags to riches, and then back to rags

again, the bankrupt financier was a victim of the mutability of fortune.

muted ADJ. / 静默的；静音的 /silent; muffled; toned down. Thanks to the thick, sound-absorbing walls of the

cathedral, only muted traffic noise reached the worshippers within.

mutinous ADJ. /反抗的；暴动的/unruly; rebellious. The captain had to use force to quiet his mutinous crew. mutiny,

myopic ADJ. /鼠目寸光；缺乏远见/nearsighted; lacking foresight. Stumbling into doors despite the coke bottle

lenses on his glasses, the nearsighted Mr. Magoo is markedly myopic. In playing all summer long

and ignoring to store up food for winter, the grasshopper in Aesop's fable was myopic as well.

myriad N. /无数，非常多/very large number. Myriads of mosquitoes from the swamps invaded our village every

twilight. alsoADJ.

mystify V. / 迷惑，蛊惑 /bewilder purposely. When doctors speak in medical jargon, they often mystify their

patients, who have little knowledge of medical terminology.

nadir N. / 谷底，最低点；天底 /lowest point. Although few people realized it, the Dow-Jones averages had

reached their nadir and would soon begin an upward surge.

naiveté N. / 天真烂漫的，简单的 /quality of being unsophisticated; simplicity; artlessness; gullibility. Touched by

the naivetd of sweet, convent-trained Cosette, Marius pledges himself to protect her innocence.

naive,ADJ.

narcissist N. /自我陶醉的人；逞能的人/conceited person; someone in love with his own image. A narcissist is her

own best friend.

narrative ADJ. /解说的/related to telling a story. A born teller of tales, Tillie Olsen used her impressive narrative

skills to advantage in her story "I Stand Here Ironing." narrate,V.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

nascent ADJ. / 初生的/incipient; coming into being. If we could identify these revolutionary movements in their

nascent state, we would be able to eliminate serious trouble in later years.

natty ADJ. /穿着整齐干净的/neatly or smartly dressed. Priding himself on being a natty dresser, the gangster

Bugsy Siegel collected a wardrobe of imported suits and ties.

Word List 32 nauseate-obsessive

nauseate V. /令人作的呕 /cause to become sick; fill with disgust. The foul smells began to nauseate him.

nautical ADJ. /航海的/pertaining to ships or navigation. The Maritime Museum contains many models of clipper

ships, logbooks, anchors and many other items of a nautical nature.

navigable ADJ. /可以通航的/wide and deep enough to allow ships to pass through; able to be steered. So much

sand had built up at the bottom of the canal that the waterway was barely navigable.

nebulous ADJ. /暧昧的，混浊不清的/vague; hazy; cloudy. After twenty years, she had only a nebulous memory of

her grandmother's face.

necromancyN. / 巫术，妖术，招魂术 /black magic; dealings with the dead. The evil sorceror performed feats of

necromancy, calling on the spirits of the dead to tell the future.

nefarious ADJ. /十恶不赦的/very wicked. The villain's crimes, though various, were one and all nefarious.

negate V. /拒绝，否定，取消 /cancel out; nullify; deny. A sudden surge of adrenalin can negate the effects of

fatigue: there's nothing like a good shock to wake you up.

negligence N. /疏忽，没能尽力的/neglect; failure to take reasonable care. Tommy failed to put back the cover on the

well after he fetched his pail of water; because of his negligence, Kitty fell in.

negligible ADJ. / 可忽略不计的 /so small, trifling, or unimportant that it may be easily disregarded. Because the

damage to his car had been negligible, Michael decided he wouldn't bother to report the matter to his

insurance company.

nemesis N. / 复仇的人；寻衅者 /someone seeking revenge. Abandoned at sea in a small boat, the vengeful

Captain Bligh vowed to be the nemesis of Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers.

neologism N. / 新生词 /new or newly coined word or phrase. As we invent new techniques and professions, we

must also Invent neologisms such as "microcomputer" and "astronaut" to describe them.

neophyte N. /新入教者；新信徒/recent convert; beginner. This mountain slope contains slides that will challenge

experts as well as neophytes.

nepotism N. /偏袒的人（亲戚）/favoritism (to a relative). John left his position with the company because he felt

that advancement was based on nepotism rather than ability.

nettle V. /烦恼；激怒；荨麻/annoy; vex. Do not let him nettle you with his sarcastic remarks.

neutral ADJ. /中型的；自然的；中庸的，公允的 /impartial; not supporting one side over another. Reluctant to get

mixed up in someone else's quarrel, Bobby tried to remain neutral, but eventually he had to take

sides.

nicety N. /准确，精密/precision; minute distinction. I cannot distinguish between such niceties of reasoning.

nihilist N. / 虚无主义者 /one who believes traditional beliefs to be groundless and existence meaningless;

absolute skeptic; revolutionary terrorist. In his final days, Hitler revealed himself a power-mad nihilist,

ready to annihilate all of Western Europe, even to destroy Germany itself, in order that his will might

prevail. The root of the word nihilist is nihil, Latin for nothing. nihilism, N.

nip V. /夹，捏；剪断；阻止 /stop something's growth or development; snip off; bite; make numb with cold.

The twins were plotting mischief, but Mother intervened and nipped that plan in the bud. The

gardener nipped off a lovely rose and gave it to me. Last week a guard dog nipped the postman in

the leg; this week the extreme chill nipped his fingers till he could barely hold the mail.

nirvana N. /涅磐/in Buddhist teachings, the ideal state in which the individual loses himself in the attainment of

an impersonal beatitude. Despite his desire to achieve nirvana, the young Buddhist found that even

the buzzing of a fly could distract him from his meditation.

nocturnal ADJ. /夜的/done at night. Mr. Jones obtained a watchdog to prevent the nocturnal raids on his chicken

coops.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

noisome ADJ. /有害的，有毒的；恶臭的 /foul-smelling; unwholesome. The noisome atmosphere downwind of the

oil refinery not only stank, it damaged the lungs of everyone living in the area.

nomadic ADJ. /游牧的/wandering. Several nomadic tribes of Indians would hunt in this area each year.

nomenclature N. /命名法；术语学/terminology; system of names. Sharon found Latin word parts useful in

translating medical nomenclature: when her son had to have a bilateral myringotomy, she figured out

that he just needed a hole in each of his eardrums to end the earaches he had.

nominal ADJ. /有名无实的，名存实亡的；名义上的/in name only; trifling. He offered to drive her to the airport for only a

nominal fee.

nonchalance N. / 冷淡 /indifference; lack of concern; composure. Cool, calm, and collected under fire,

James Bond shows remarkable nonchalance in the face of danger.

noncommittal ADJ. /不明朗的，不表的；中庸的，未决的态 /neutral; unpledged; undecided. We were annoyed by

his noncommittal reply for we had been led to expect definite assurances of his approval.

nondescript ADJ. / 普通的 /undistinctive; ordinary. The private detective was a short, nondescript fellow with no

outstanding features, the sort of person one would never notice in a crowd.

nonentity N. / 不存在 /person of no importance; nonexistence. Because the two older princes dismissed their

youngest brother as a nonentity, they did not realize that he was quietly plotting to seize the throne.

nonplus V. / 使迷惑；使为难；混淆 /bring to halt by confusion; perplex. Jack's uncharacteristic rudeness

nonplussed Jill, leaving her uncertain how to react.

nostalgia N. / 想家；乡愁 /homesickness; longing for the past. My grandfather seldom spoke of life in the old

country; he had little patience with nostalgia. nostalgic,ADJ.

notable ADJ. / 显著的；值得注意的 /conspicuous; important; distinguished. Normally notable for his calm in the

kitchen, today the head cook was shaking, for the notable chef Julia Child was coming to dinner.

notoriety N. /臭名昭著的/disrepute; ill fame. To the starlet, any publicity was good publicity: if she couldn't have a

good reputation, she'd settle for notoriety. notorious,ADJ.

novelty N. / 新奇 /something new; newness. The computer is no longer a novelty at work; every desk in our

office has one. novel,ADJ.

novice N. / 新手 /beginner. Even a novice at working with computers can install Barron's Computer Study

Program for the SAT by following the easy steps outlined in the user's manual.

noxious ADJ. /有害的/harmful. We must trace the source of these noxious gases before they asphyxiate us.

nuance N. / 微差别细 /shade of difference in meaning or color; subtle distinction. Jody gazed at the Monet

landscape for an hour, appreciating every subtle nuance of color in the painting.

nullify V. /使无效/to make invalid. Once the contract was nullified, it no longer had any legal force.

numismatistN. /硬币收藏家/person who collects coins. The numismatist had a splendid collection of antique coins.

nuptial ADJ. /婚姻的 /related to marriage. Reluctant to be married in a traditional setting, they decided to hold

their nuptial ceremony at the carousel in Golden Gate Park.

nurture V. /养育；教育/nourish; educate; foster. The Head Start program attempts to nurture pre-kindergarten

children so that they will do well when they enter public school. also N.

nutrient N. /营养品/nourishing substance. As a budding nutritionist, Kim has learned to design diets that contain

foods rich in important basic nutrients.

oaf N. /愚蠢的人/stupid, awkward person. "Watch what you're doing, you clumsy oaf!" Bill shouted at the

waiter who had drenched him with iced coffee.

obdurate ADJ. /执拗的；顽固的/stubborn. He was obdurate in his refusal to listen to our complaints.

obese ADJ. /肥胖的/fat. It is advisable that obese people try to lose weight.

obfuscate V. /迷惑，困惑；增加不必要的复性杂 /confuse; muddle; cause confusion; make needlessly complex. Was

the president's spokesman trying to clarify the Whitewater mystery, or was he trying to obfuscate the

issue so the voters would never figure out what went on?

obituary ADJ. /讣告/death notice. I first learned of her death when I read the obituary column in the newspaper.

also N.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

objective ADJ. /不为情所动的；公平的 /not influenced by emotions; fair. Even though he was her son, she tried to

be objective about his behavior.

objective N. /目标/goal; aim. A degree in medicine was her ultimate objective.

obligatory ADJ. /必的 /binding; required. It is obligatory that books borrowed from the library be returned within

two weeks.

oblique ADJ. / 间接的；倾斜的；无诚意的/indirect; slanting (deviating from the perpendicular or from a straight

line). Casting a quick, oblique glance at the reviewing stand, the sergeant ordered the company to

march "Oblique Right."

obliterate V. /彻底摧毁/destroy completely. The tidal wave obliterated several island villages,

oblivion N. / 遗忘；赦免 /obscurity; forgetfulness. After a decade of popularity, Hurston's works had fallen into

oblivion; no one bothered to read them any more.

oblivious ADJ. /遗忘的；出神的/inattentive or unmindful; wholly absorbed. Deep in her book, Nancy was oblivious

to the noisy squabbles of her brother and his friends.

obnoxious ADJ. /讨厌的；冒犯的/offensive. I find your behavior obnoxious; please mend your ways.

obscure ADJ. / 模糊的，不明了的，暗淡的 /dark; vague; unclear. Even after I read the poem a fourth time, its

meaning was still obscure. obscurity, N.

obscure V. / 使模糊；使暗淡 /darken; make unclear. At times he seemed purposely to obscure his meaning,

preferring mystery to clarity.

obsequious ADJ. / 谄媚的；拍马屁的；奴性的 /slavishly attentive; servile; sycophantic. Helen liked to be served by

people who behaved as if they respected themselves; nothing irritated her more than an excessively

obsequious waiter or a fawning salesclerk.

obsessive ADJ. / 强迫性的，入迷的；出神的 /related to thinking about something constantly; preoccupying. Ballet,

which had been a hobby, began to dominate his life: his love of dancing became obsessive.

obsession, N.

Word List 33 obsolete-pacifist

obsolete ADJ. / 过时的；无用的 /no longer useful; outmoded; antiquated. The invention of the pocket calculator

made the slide rule used by generations of engineers obsolete.

obstetrician N. /妇产科医师/physician specializing in delivery of babies. In modern times, the delivery of children has

passed from the midwife to the more scientifically trained obstetrician,

obstinate ADJ. /坚定的，倔强的 /stubborn; hard to control or treat. We tried to persuade him to give up smoking,

but he was obstinate and refused to change. Blackberry stickers are the most obstinate weeds I

know: once established in a yard, they're extremely hard to root out. obstinacy, N.

obstreperous ADJ. /喧闹的，喧嚣的；任性的/boisterous; noisy. What do you do when an obstreperous horde

of drunken policemen goes carousing through your hotel, crashing into potted plants and singing

vulgar songs?

obtrude V. / 插手，强入，冲出 /push (oneself or one's ideas) forward or intrude; butt in; stick out or extrude.

Because Fanny was reluctant to obtrude her opinions about child-raising upon her daughter-in-law,

she kept a close watch on her tongue. obtrusive,ADJ.

obtuse ADJ. /钝的，迟钝的；愚蠢的/blunt; stupid. What can you do with somebody who's so obtuse that he can't

even tell that you're insulting him?

obviate V. /消除；排除；避免 /make unnecessary; get rid of. I hope this contribution will obviate any need for

further collections of funds.

odious ADJ. /可恨的；可耻的/hateful; vile. Cinderella's ugly stepsisters had the odious habit of popping their zits

in public.

odium N. /讨厌；憎恶/detestation; hatefulness; disrepute. Prince Charming could not express the odium he

felt toward Cinderella's stepsisters because of their mistreatment of poor Cinderella.

odorous ADJ. /有气味的/having an odor. This variety of hybrid tea rose is more odorous than the one you have in

your garden.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

odyssey N. / 长期的冒险旅行 /long, eventful journey. The refugee's journey from Cambodia was a terrifying

odyssey.

offensive ADJ. / 攻击的；冒犯的 /attacking; insulting; distasteful. Getting into street brawls is no minor matter for

professional boxers, who are required by law to restrict their offensive impulses to the ring.

offhand ADJ. /即的；随意的时 /casual; done without prior thought. Expecting to be treated with due propriety by

her hosts, Great-Aunt Maud was offended by their offhand manner.

officious ADJ. /多管闲事的 /meddlesome; excessively pushy in offering one's services. Judy wanted to look over

the new computer models on her own, but the officious salesman kept on butting in with "helpful"

advice until she was ready to walk out of the store.

ogle V. /抛媚眼；送秋波/look at amorously; make eyes at. At the coffee house, Walter was too shy to ogle the

pretty girls openly; instead, he peeked out at them from behind a rubber plant.

olfactory ADJ. /嗅觉的/concerning the sense of smell. A wine taster must have a discriminating palate and a keen

olfactory sense, for a good wine appeals both to the taste buds and to the nose.

oligarchy N. /寡头政治/government by a privileged few. One small clique ran the student council: what had been

intended as a democratic governing body had turned into an oligarchy.

ominous ADJ. /有威胁的；恶兆的/threatening. Those clouds are ominous; they suggest a severe storm is on the

way.

omnipotent ADJ. /无所不能的；全能的/all-powerful. The monarch regarded himself as omnipotent and responsible to

no one for his acts.

omnipresent ADJ. / 无所不在的 /universally present; ubiquitous. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus is

omnipresent.

omniscient ADJ. /无所不知的/all-knowing. I do not pretend to be omniscient, but I am positive about this fact.

omnivorous ADJ. / 无所不吃的；食的杂 /eating both plant and animal food; devouring everything. Some animals,

including man, are omnivorous and eat both meat and vegetables; others are either carnivorous or

herbivorous.

onerous ADJ. /范忠德/burdensome. He asked for an assistant because his work load was too onerous.

onset N. /开始，作，肇端；攻击发 /beginning; attack. Caught unprepared by the sudden onset of the storm, we

rushed around the house closing windows and bringing the garden furniture into shelter. Caught

unprepared by the enemy onset, the troops scrambled to take shelter.

onus N. / 负担；责任 /burden; responsibility. The emperor was spared the onus of signing the surrender

papers; instead, he relegated the assignment to his generals.

opalescent ADJ. /乳白的/iridescent; lustrous. The oil slick on the water had an opalescent, rainbow-like sheen.

opaque ADJ. /暗的；不透明的/dark; not transparent. The opaque window shade kept the sunlight out of the room.

opacity, N.

opiate N. /鸦片剂；安眠的，止痛的/medicine to induce sleep or deaden pain; something that relieves emotions

or causes inaction. To say that religion is the opiate of the people is to condemn religion as a drug

that keeps the people quiet and submissive to those in power.

opportune ADJ. / 世纪恰巧的；刚好的 /timely; well-chosen. Sally. looked at her father struggling to balance his

checkbook; clearly this would not be an opportune moment to ask him for a raise in her allowance.

opportunist N. / 机会主义者 /individual who sacrifices principles for expediency by taking advantage of

circumstances. Joe is such an opportunist that he tripled the price of bottled water at his store as

soon as the earthquake struck. Because it can break water pipes, an earthquake is, to most people, a

disaster; to Joe, it was an opportunity.

optician N. /眼镜商/maker and seller of eyeglasses. The patient took the prescription given him by his oculist} o

the optician.

optimist N. /乐观者/person who looks on the good side. The pessimist says the glass is half-empty; the optimist

says it is half-full.

optimum ADJ. / 最的优 /most favorable. If you wait for the optimum moment to act, you may never begin your

project. also N.

optional ADJ. /可选的/not obligatory; left to one's choice. Most colleges require applicants to submit SAT I scores;

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

at some colleges, however, submitting SAT I scores is optional.

opulence N. /奢华；巨富；富裕，富足/extreme wealth; luxuriousness; abundance. The glitter and opulence of the

ballroom took Cinderella's breath away. opulent,ADJ.

opus N. /作品/work. Although many critics hailed his Fifth Symphony as his major work, he did not regard it

as his major opus.

oracular ADJ. /神一样的；一样的；超自然的，无法理解的谜 /prophetic; uttered as if with divine authority; mysterious or

ambiguous. Like many others who sought divine guidance from the oracle at Delphi, Oedipus could

not understand the enigmatic oracularwarning he received.

orator N. /演讲者/public speaker. The abolitionist Frederick Douglass was a brilliant orator whose speeches

brought home to his audience the evils of slavery.

ordain V. /指定；定；任命；命令规 /decree or command; grant holy orders; predestine. The king ordained that

no foreigner should be allowed to enter the city. The Bishop of Michigan ordained David a deacon in

the Episcopal Church. The young lovers felt that fate had ordained their meeting.

ordeal N. /严酷的考验；折磨/severe trial or affliction. June was so painfully shy that it was an ordeal for her to

speak up when the teacher called on her in class.

ordinance N. /法令；政令/decree. Passing a red light is a violation of a city ordinance.

ordination N. / 授任；委任圣职 /ceremony making someone a minister. At the young priest's ordination, the members

of the congregation presented him with a set of vestments. ordain,V.

orgy N. / 放，野；酒狂欢荡旷纵 /wild, drunken revelry; unrestrained indulgence in a tendency. The Roman

emperor's orgies were far wilder than the toga party in the movie Animal House. When her income

tax refund check finally arrived, Sally indulged in an orgy of shopping.

orient V. /确定方向；校准/get one's bearings; adjust. Philip spent his first day in Denver orienting himself to the

city.

orientation N. / 定位（在社会上） /act of finding oneself in society. Freshman orientation provides the incoming

students with an opportunity to learn about their new environment and their place in it.

ornate ADJ. /华丽的；过分装饰的/excessively or elaborately decorated. With its elaborately carved, convoluted

lines, furniture of the Baroque period was highly ornate.

ornithologist N. /鸟类学家/scientific student of birds. Audubon's drawings of American bird life have been of

interest not only to the ornithologists but also to the general public.

ornithology N. / 鸟类学 /study of birds. Audubon's studies of American birds greatly influenced the course of

ornithology.

orthodox ADJ. /传统的；保守的 /traditional; conservative in belief. Faced with a problem, he preferred to take an

orthodox approach rather than shock anyone. orthodoxy, N.

oscillate V. /振荡/vibrate pendulumlike; waver. It is interesting to note how public opinion oscillates between the

extremes of optimism and pessimism.

ossify V. /硬化；骨化；化石化/change or harden into bone. When he called his opponent a "bonehead," he

implied that his adversary's brain had ossified to the point that he was incapable of clear thinking.

ostensible ADJ. /显然的；虚假的/apparent; professed; pretended. Although the ostensible purpose of this expedition

is to discover new lands, we are really interested in finding new markets for our products.

ostentatiousADJ. /卖弄的；企图惹人注意的；哗众取宠的/showy; pretentious; trying to attract attention. Donald Trump's

latest casino in Atlantic City is the most ostentatious gambling palace in the East: it easily outglitters

its competitors. ostentation, N.

ostracize V. /放逐/exclude from public favor; ban. As soon as the newspapers carried the story of his connection

with the criminals, his friends began to ostracize him. ostracism, N.

oust V. /剥夺；驱逐/expel; drive out. The world wondered if Aquino would be able to oust Marcos from office.

ouster, N.

outlandish ADJ. /奇异的；偏僻的；前卫的/bizarre; peculiar; unconventional. The eccentric professor who engages in

markedly outlandish behavior is a stock figure in novels with an academic setting.

outmoded ADJ. /过时的 /longer stylish; old-fashioned. Unconcerned about keeping in style, Lenore was perfectly

happy to wear outmoded clothes as long as they were clean and unfrayed.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

outskirts N. / 边界；郊区；外围 /fringes; outer borders. We lived, not in central London, but in one of those

peripheral suburbs that spring up on the outskirts of a great city.

outspoken ADJ. /坦率直言的/candid; blunt. The candidate was too outspoken to be a successful politician; he had

not yet learned to weigh his words carefully.

outstrip V. /超过/surpass; outdo. Jesse Owens easily outstripped his white competitors to win the gold medal at

the Olympic Games.

outwit V. /欺骗；瞒骗/outsmart; trick. By disguising himself as an old woman, Holmes was able to outwit his

pursuers and escape capture.

ovation N. /热情洋溢的喝彩 /enthusiastic applause. When the popular tenor Placido Domingo came on stage in

the first act of La Boheme, he was greeted by a tremendous ovation.

overbearing ADJ. /傲慢专横的 /bossy and arrogant; decisively important. Certain of her own importance, and of the

unimportance of everyone else, Lady Bracknell was intolerably overbearing in her manner. "In

choosing a husband," she said, "good birth is of overbearing importance; compared to that, neither

wealth nor talent signifies."

overt ADJ. /明显的；公然的/open to view. According to the United States Constitution, a person must commit

an overt act before he may be tried for treason.

overwrought ADJ. / 歇斯底里的 /extremely agitated; hysterical. When Kate heard the news of the sudden

tragedy, she became too overwrought to work and had to leave the office early.

pachyderm N. /皮厚的动物（如大象）/thick-skinned animal. The elephant is probably the best-known pachyderm.

pacifist N. /和平主者义 /one opposed to force; antimilitarist. Shooting his way through the jungle, Rambo was

clearly not a pacifist.

Word List 34 pacify-peccadillo

pacify V. / 安抚；平静 /soothe; make calm or quiet; subdue. Dentists criticize the practice of giving fussy

children sweets to pacify them.

pact N. /和；条约约/agreement; treaty. Tweedledum and Tweedledee made a pact not to quarrel anymore.

paean N. /欢乐歌；赞美歌/song of praise or joy. Paeans celebrating the victory filled the air.

painstaking ADJ. /辛勤的/showing hard work; taking-Dreat care. The new high-frequency word list is the result of

painstaking efforts on the part of our research staff.

palatable ADJ. / 可接受的；美味的 /agreeable; pleasing to the taste. Neither Jack's underbaked opinions nor his

overcooked casseroles were palatable to Jill.

paleontology N. / 古生物学 /study of prehistoric life. The paleontology instructor had a superb collection of

fossils.

palette N. /调色板/board on which painter mixes pigments. At the present time, art supply stores are selling a

paper palette that may be discarded after use.

pall V. /厌烦，腻味/grow tiresome. The study of word lists can eventually pall and put one to sleep.

palliate V. /减轻/lessen the violence of (a disease); alleviate; moderate intensity; gloss over with excuses. Not

content merely to palliate the patient's sores and cankers, the researcher sought a means of wiping

out the disease. palliative,ADJ.

pallid ADJ. / 白的，惨淡的苍 /pale; wan. Because his job required that he work at night and sleep during the day,

he had an exceptionally pallid complexion.

palpable ADJ. /易于会的；明显的领 /tangible; easily perceptible; unmistakable. The patient's enlarged spleen was

palpable: even the first year medical student could feel it.

palpitate V. /拍动；跳动；搏动/throb; flutter. As he became excited, his heart began to palpitate more and more

erratically.

paltry ADJ. /不显著的；微小的 /insignificant; petty; trifling. One hundred dollars for a genuine imitation Rolex

watch! Lady, this is a paltry sum to pay for such a high-class piece of jewelry.

pan V. /剧烈批评；猛烈抨击/criticize harshly. Hoping for a rave review of his new show, the playwright was

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

miserable when the critics panned it unanimously.

panacea N. /包治百病的药，灵丹妙药 /cure-all; remedy for all diseases. The rich youth cynically declared that the

panacea for all speeding tickets was a big enough bribe.

panache N. / 华丽 /flair; flamboyance. Many performers imitate Noel Coward, but few have his panache and

sense of style.

pandemic ADJ. /广泛传播的，流行的 /widespread; affecting the majority of people. They feared the AIDS epidemic

would soon reach pandemic proportions.

pandemonium N. /喧嚣；混乱 /wild tumult. When the ships collided in the harbor, pandemonium broke out

among the passengers.

pander V. /低趣味的；拉皮条级 /cater to the low desires of others. The reviewer accused the makers of Lethal

Weapon of pandering to the masses' taste for violence.

panegyric N. / 推崇之至/formal praise. Blushing at all the praise heaped upon him by the speakers, the modest

hero said, °I don't deserve such panegyrics."

panoramic ADJ. /全景的/related to an unobstructed and comprehensive view. On a clear day, from the top of the

World Trade Center you can get a panoramic view of New York City and parts of New Jersey and

Long Island. panorama, N.

pantomime N. /演哑剧/acting without dialogue. Because he worked in pantomime, the clown could be understood

wherever he appeared. alsoV.

papyrus N. /纸草；草纸（古代的）/ancient paper made from stem of papyrus plant. The ancient Egyptians were

among the first to write on papyrus.

parable N. / 寓言 /short, simple story teaching a moral. Let us apply to our own conduct the lesson that this

parable teaches.

paradigm N. /典范；模式/model; example; pattern. Pavlov's experiment in which he trains a dog to salivate on

hearing a bell is a paradigm of the conditioned-response experiment in behavioral psychology.

Barron's How to Prepare for College Entrance Examinations was a paradigm for all the SAT-prep

books that followed.

paradox N. /悖论；佯谬/something apparently contradictory in nature; statement that looks false but is actually

correct. Richard presents a bit of a paradox, for he is a card-carrying member of both the National

Rifle Association and the relatively pacifist American Civil Liberties Union.

paragon N. /模范/model of perfection. Her fellow students disliked Lavinia because Miss Minchin always pointed

her out as a paragon of virtue.

parallelism N. /平行状；相似的态 /state of being parallel; similarity. Although the twins were separated at birth and

grew up in different adoptive families, a striking parallelism exists between their lives.

paramount ADJ. / 极其重要的 /foremost in importance; supreme. Proper nutrition and hygiene are of paramount

importance in adolescent development and growth.

paranoia N. /妄想狂；偏执狂/psychosis marked by delusions of grandeur or persecution. Suffering from paranoia,

Don claimed everyone was out to get him; ironically, his claim was accurate: even pa rano i ds have

enemies.

paraphernalia N. /琐碎的东西；零碎的随身物品/equipment; odds and ends. His desk was cluttered with paper,

pen, ink, dictionary and other paraphernalia of the writing craft.

paraphrase V. /解释；批注；注释 /restate a passage in one's own words while retaining thought of author. In 250

words

or less, paraphrase this article. also N.

parasite N. /寄生；寄生体/animal or plant living on another; toady; sycophant. The tapeworm is an example of

the kind of parasite that may infest the human body.

parched ADJ. /干旱的；干的渴 /extremely dry; very thirsty. The pa rched desert landscape seemed hostile to life.

pariah N. /贱民；被社会遗弃的人/social outcast. If everyone ostracized singer Mariah Carey, would she then be

Mariah the pariah?

parity N. /相等；势均力敌；奇偶 /equality in status or amount; close resemblance. Unfortunately, some doubt

exists whether women's salaries will ever achieve paritywith men's.

parochial ADJ. /狭小的，地方的/narrow in outlook; provincial; related to parishes. Although Jane Austen sets her

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

novels in small rural communities, her concerns are universal, not parochial,

parody N. / 拙劣的模仿 /humorous imitation; spoof; takeoff; travesty. The show Forbidden Broadway presents

parodies spoofing the year's new productions playing on Broadway.

paroxysm N. /突然一阵的，突发的（痛苦，笑，愤怒）/fit or attack of pain, laughter, rage. When he heard of his son's

misdeeds, he was seized by a paroxysm of rage.

parry V. /躲避/ward off a blow; deflect. Unwilling to injure his opponent in such a pointless clash, Dartagnan

simply tried to parry his rival's thrusts. What fun it was to watch Katherine Hepburn and Spencer

Tracy parry each other's verbal thrusts in their classic screwball comedies!

parsimony N. /过度俭省；吝啬/stinginess; excessive frugality. Furious because her father wouldn't let her buy out

the clothing store, Annie accused him of parsimony.

partial ADJ. /不完善的；偏爱的/incomplete; having a liking for something. In this issue we have published only a

partial list of contributors because we lack space to acknowledge everyone. I am extremely partial to

chocolate eclairs.

partiality N. / 倾向；偏见 /inclination; bias. As a judge, not only must I be unbiased, but I must also avoid any

evidence of partiality when I award the prize.

partisan ADJ. /一边倒的/one-sided; prejudiced; committed to a party. On certain issues of principle, she refused

to take a partisan stand, but let her conscience be her guide. Rather than joining forces to solve our

nation's problems, the Democrats and Republicans spend their time on partisan struggles. also N.

partition V. /分裂开来/divide into parts. Before their second daughter was born, Jason and Lizzie decided each

child needed a room of her own, and so they partitioned a large bedroom into two small but separate

rooms. also N.

passive ADJ. / 被动的 /not active; acted upon. Mahatma Gandhi urged his followers to pursue a program of

passive resistance as he felt that it was more effective than violence and acts of terrorism.

passport N. / 照/legal document identifying the bearer as a citizen of a country and allowing him or her to travel

abroad. In arranging your first trip abroad, be sure to allow yourself enough time to apply for and

receive your passport you won't be allowed to travel without one.

pastiche N. /摹写；模仿/imitation of another's style in musical composition or in writing. We cannot even say that

her music is a: pastiche of this composer or that; it is, rather, reminiscent of many musicians.

pastoral ADJ. /田园的；乡下的/rural. In these stories of pastoral life, we find an understanding of the daily tasks of

country folk.

patent ADJ. /显而易见的；公开查阅的 /open for the public to read; obvious. It was patent to everyone that the

witness spoke the truth. also N.

pathetic ADJ. /可怜的，触动人心的/causing sadness, compassion, pity; touching. Everyone in the auditorium was

weeping by the time he finished his pathetic tale about the orphaned boy.

pathologicalADJ. /病理学/related to the study of disease; diseased or markedly abnormal. Jerome's pathological fear

of germs led him to wash his hands a hundred times a day. pathology, N.

pathos N. / 痛苦，悲，哀婉怆 /tender sorrow; pity; quality in art or literature that produces these feelings. The

quiet tone of pathos that ran through the novel never degenerated into the maudlin or the overly

sentimental.

patina N. /铜绿；光泽；古色/green crust on old bronze works; tone slowly taken by varnished painting. Judging

by the patina on this bronze statue, we can conclude that this is the work of a medieval artist.

patriarch N. /长者，家长；酋长，族长/father and ruler of a family or tribe. In many primitive tribes, the leader and

lawmaker was the patriarch.

patrician ADJ. /贵族的/noble; aristocratic. We greatly admired her well-bred, patrician elegance. also N.

patronize V. / 资助；支持 /support; act superior toward; be a customer of. Penniless artists hope to find some

wealthy art-lover who will patronize them. If some condescending wine steward patronized me

because he saw I knew nothing about fine wine, I'd refuse to patronize his restaurant.

paucity N. / 少量；缺乏 /scarcity. They closed the restaurant because the paucity of customers made it

uneconomical to operate.

pauper N. /叫花子；非常可怜的人/very poor person. Though Widow Brown was living on a reduced income, she

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

was by no means a pauper.

peccadillo N. / 轻罪，轻微冒犯 /slight offense. When Peter Piper picked a peck of Polly Potter's pickles, did Pete

commit a major crime or just a peccadillo?

Word List 35 pecuniary-philanderer

pecuniary ADJ. / 钱的，货币的 /pertaining to money. Seldom earning enough to cover their expenses, folk dance

teachers work because they love dancing, not because they expect any pecuniary reward.

pedagogy N. / 教育学 /teaching; art of education. Though Maria Montessori gained fame for her innovations in

pedagogy, it took years before her teaching techniques were common practice in American schools.

pedant N. / 学究式人物 /scholar who overemphasizes book learning or technicalities. Her insistence that the

book be memorized marked the teacher as a pedant rather than a scholar.

pedantic ADJ. / 书生气的 /showing off learning; bookish. Leavening his decisions with humorous, down-to-earth

anecdotes, Judge Walker was not at all the pedantic legal scholar. pedant, pedantry, N.

pedestrian ADJ. /没有想象力的，普通的/ordinary; unimaginative. Unintentionally boring, he wrote page after page of

pedestrian prose.

pediatrician N. / 儿科专家 /expert in children's diseases. The family doctor advised the parents to consult a

pediatrician about their child's ailment.

peerless ADJ. /不可比的，不相衡的，无可匹的较敌 /having no equal; incomparable. The reigning operatic tenor of his

generation, to his admirers Luciano Pavarotti was peerless: no one could compare with him.

pejorative ADJ. / 轻蔑；蔑视的 /negative in connotation; having a belittling effect. Instead of criticizing Clinton's

policies, the Republicans made pejorative remarks about his character.

pellucid ADJ. / 透明；清澈；明白的 /transparent; limpid; easy to understand. After reading these stodgy

philosophers, I find Bertrand Russell's pellucid style very enjoyable.

penchant N. /倾向；趣味 /strong inclination; liking. Dave has a penchant for taking risks: one semester he went

steady with three girls, two of whom were stars on the school karate team.

pendant N. /装饰品；首饰/ornament (hanging from a necklace, etc.) Thegrateful team presented the coach with a

silver chain and pendant engraved with the school's motto.

penitent ADJ. / 悔过的 /repentant. When he realized the enormity of his crime, he became remorseful and

penitent, also N.

pensive ADJ. /沉思默想的；忧心忡忡的 /dreamily thoughtful; thoughtful with a hint of sadness; contemplative. The

pensive lover gazed at the portrait of his beloved and deeply sighed.

penury N. /一如洗；穷困潦倒贫 /severe poverty; stinginess. When his pension fund failed, George feared he

would end his days in penury. He became such a penny pincher that he turned into a closefisted,

penurious miser.

perceptive ADJ. /有洞察力的，警觉的；智慧的/insightful; aware; wise. Although Maud was a generally perceptive critic,

she had her blind spots: she could never see flaws in the work of her friends.

percussion ADJ. /打击/striking one object against another sharply. The drum is a percussion instrument. also N.

perdition N. / 毁灭 /damnation; complete ruin. Praying for salvation, young Steven Daedalus feared he was

damned to eternal perdition.

peregrination N. /旅程；旅行/journey. Auntie Mame was a world traveler whose peregrinations took her from

Tiajuana to Timbuctoo.

peremptory ADJ. /专制的；强硬的，专横的/demanding and leaving no choice. From Jack's peremptory knock on the

door, Jill could tell he would not give up until she let him in.

perennial N. / 年的；永久的终 /something that is continuing or recurrent. These plants are hardy perennials and will

bloom for many years. alsoADJ.

perfidious ADJ. /背信弃义的；不忠的/treacherous; disloyal. When Caesar realized that Brutus had betrayed him, he

reproached his perfidious friend. perfidy, N.

perforate V. /打孔/pierce; put a hole through. Before you can open the aspirin bottle, you must first perforate the

plastic safety seal that covers the cap.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

perfunctory ADJ. /肤浅的，不投入的；漠不关心的/superficial; not thorough; lacking interest, care, or enthusiasm. The

auditor's perfunctory inspection of the books overlooked many errors. Giving the tabletop only a

perfunctory swipe with her dust cloth, Betty promised herself she'd clean it more thoroughly

tomorrow.

perimeter N. / 周长 /outer boundary. To find the perimeter of any quadrilateral, we add the lengths of the four

sides.

peripheral ADJ. /外围的 /marginal; outer. We lived, not in central London, but in one of those peripheral suburbs

that spring up on the outskirts of a great city.

periphery N. / （圆形的）边缘 /edge, especially of a round surface. He sensed that there was something just

beyond the periphery of his vision.

perjury N. /伪誓；伪证/false testimony while under oath. Rather than lie under oath and perhaps be indicted for

perjury, the witness chose to take the Fifth Amendment, refusing to answer any questions on the

grounds that he might incriminate himself.

permeable ADJ. / 可渗透的，可学习的 /penetrable; porous; allowing liquids or gas to pass through. If your jogging

clothes weren't made out of permeable fabric, you'd drown in your own perspiration (figuratively

speaking).

permeate V. /传播；流传/pass through; spread. The odor of frying onions permeated the air.

pernicious ADJ. /及具毁灭性的/very destructive. Crack cocaine has had a pernicious effect on urban society: it has

destroyed families, turned children into drug dealers, and increased the spread of violent crimes.

perpetrate V. /犯/commit an offense. Only an insane person could perpetrate such a horrible crime.

perpetual ADJ. /永久的/everlasting. Ponce de Leon hoped to find the legendary fountain of perpetual youth.

perpetuate V. /保护免于灭绝/make something last; preserve from extinction. Some critics attack The Adventures of

Huckleberry Finn because they believe Twain's book perpetuates a false image of Blacks in this

country.

perquisite N. /津贴，补贴；奖金/any gain above stipulated salary. The perquisites attached to this job make it even

more attractive than the salary indicates.

persona N. /角色/public personality or facade. Offstage the comedian was a sullen, irritable grumbler, a far cry

from his ever-cheerful adopted stage persona.

personable ADJ. /有吸引力的/attractive. The man I am seeking to fill this position must be personable since he will

be representing us before the public.

perspicacious ADJ. /洞察一切的，渗透的；机敏的 /having insight; penetrating; astute. The brilliant lawyer was

known for his perspicacious deductions. perspicacity, N.

pert ADJ. / 爱管闲事的，无理的 /impertinent; forward. I think your pert and impudent remarks call for an

apology.

pertinaciousADJ. /拒不屈服；反抗/stubborn; persistent. He is bound to succeed because his pertinacious nature will

not permit him to quit.

pertinent ADJ. / 到点子上的；中肯的；有关的说 /To the point; relevant. Virginia Woolf's words on women's rights are

as pertinent today as they were when she wrote them nearly a century ago.

perturb V. / 感到不安 /disturb greatly. The thought that electricity might be leaking out of the empty light bulb

sockets perturbed my aunt so much that at night she crept about the house screwing fresh bulbs in

the vacant spots. perturbation, N.

peruse V. / /read with care. After the conflagration that burned down her house, Joan closely perused her

home insurance policy to discover exactly what benefits her coverage provided her. perusal, N.

pervasive ADJ. / 深入人心的；普遍的 /pervading; spread throughout every part. Despite airing them for several

hours, Martha could not rid her clothes of the pervasive odor of mothballs that clung to them.

pervade,V.

perverse ADJ. / 不正当的，邪恶的，做作的；硬子的脖 /stubbornly wrongheaded; wicked and perverted. When Jack

was in a perverse mood, he would do the opposite of whatever Jill asked him. When Hannibal Lecter

was in a perverse mood, he ate the flesh of his victims. Jack acted out of perversity. Hannibal's act

proved his perversion.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

pessimism N. /悲观主义者/belief that life is basically bad or evil; gloominess. Considering how well you have done

in the course so far, you have no real reason for such pessimism about your final grade.

petrify V. /石化/turn to stone. His sudden and unexpected appearance seemed to petrify her.

petty ADJ. /微小的，不重要的/trivial; unimportant; very small. She had no major complaints to make about his

work, only a few petty quibbles that were almost too minor to state.

petulant ADJ. /脾气坏的/touchy; peevish. If you'd had hardly any sleep for three nights and people kept phoning

and waking you up, you'd sound pretty petulant, too.

phenomena N. / 现象/observable facts; subjects of scientific investigation. We kept careful records of the

phenomena we noted in the course of these experiments.

philanderer N. /调情；轻佻的人/faithless lover; flirt. Swearing he had never so much as looked at another

woman, Ralph assured Alice he was no philanderer.

Word List 36 philanthropist-precedent

philanthropist N. /慈善家/lover of mankind; doer of good. In his role as philanthropist and public benefactor,

John D. Rockefeller, Sr., donated millions to charity; as an individual, however, he was a tight-fisted

old man.

philistine N. /俗气的人，无教养的人；心胸狭窄的人/narrow-minded person, uncultured and exclusively interested in

material gain. We need more men of culture and enlightenment; we have too many philistines among

us.

philology N. / 语言学 /study of language. The professor of philology advocated the use of Esperanto as an

international language.

phlegmatic ADJ. /冷静的；平静的；不易被激起的/calm; not easily disturbed. The nurse was a cheerful but phlegmatic

person, unexcited in the face of sudden emergencies.

phobia N. /恐怖/morbid fear. Her fear of flying was more than mere nervousness; it was a real phobia.

phoenix N. /凤凰（象征不死和重生、涅磐）/symbol of immortality or rebirth. Like the legendary phoenix rising from

its ashes, the city of San Francisco rose again after its destruction during the 1906 earthquake.

phylum N. / 门；语群 /major class of plants; primary branch of animal kingdom; division. In sorting out her

hundreds of packets of seeds, Katya decided to file them by phylum.

physiological ADJ. /生理学的/pertaining to the science of the function of living organisms. To understand this

disease fully, we must examine not only its physiological aspects but also its psychological elements.

picaresque ADJ. /以歹徒为题材的文学作品的/pertaining to rogues in literature. Tom Jones has been hailed as one of

the best picaresque novels in the English language.

piebald ADJ. /花斑的；斑驳的/mottled; spotted. You should be able to identify Polka Dot in this race; it is the only

piebald horse running.

piecemeal ADV. /一次一个的，逐个的；的；碎的渐渐 /one piece at a time; gradually. Tolstoy's War and Peace is too

huge to finish in one sitting; I'll have to read it piecemeal.

pied ADJ. / 杂色的；斑驳的 /variegated; multicolored. The Pied Piper of Hamelin got his name from the

multicolored clothing he wore.

piety N. /虔诚；孝行/religious devotion; godliness. The nuns in the convent were noted for their piety; they

spent their days in worship and prayer. Pious,ADJ.

pigment N. /色素/coloring matter. Van Gogh mixed various pigments with linseed oil to create his paints.

pillage V. /掠夺/plunder. The enemy pillaged the quiet village and left it in ruins.

pine V. /消瘦，憔悴；望；松渴树/languish, decline; long for, yearn. Though she tried to be happy living with

Clara in the city, Heidi pined for the mountains and for her gruff but loving grandfather.

pinnacle N. /顶尖；顶点/peak. We could see the morning sunlight illuminate the pinnacle while the rest of the

mountain lay in shadow.

pious ADJ. /尽职的；虔诚的 /devout; religious. The challenge for church people today is how to be pious in

the best sense, that is, to be devout without becoming hypocritical or sanctimonious. piety, N.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

piquant ADJ. /开胃的；辛辣的；刺激的；淘气皮的顽 /pleasantly tart-tasting; stimulating. The piquant sauce added

to our enjoyment of the meal. piquancy, N.

pique N. /愤怒；不满/irritation; resentment. She showed her pique at her loss by refusing to appear with the

other contestants at the end of the competition. alsoV.

pique V. /激起，煽动；激怒/provoke or arouse; annoy. "I know something you don't know," said Lucy, trying

to pique Ethel's interest.

pitfall N. /缺陷/hidden danger; concealed trap. Her parents warned young Sophie against the many pitfalls

that lay in wait for her in the dangerous big city.

pithy ADJ. /精炼的；抓住灵魂的/concise; meaningful; substantial; meaty. While other girls might have gone

on and on about how uncool Elton was, Liz summed it up in one pithy remark: "He's bogus!"

pittance N. /微薄的薪水/a small allowance or wage. He could not live on the pittance he received as a pension

and had to look for an additional source of revenue.

pivotal ADJ. / 关键的 /crucial; key; vital. The new "smart weapons" technology played a pivotal role in the

quick resolution of the war with Iraq.

placate V. / 安抚 /pacify; conciliate. The store manager tried to placate the angry customer, offering to

replace the damaged merchandise or to give back her money right away.

placebo N. / 安慰剂 /harmless substance prescribed as a dummy pill. In a controlled experiment, fifty

volunteers were given aspirin tablets; the control group received only placebos.

placid ADJ. /平静的/peaceful; calm. After his vacation in this placid section, he felt soothed and rested.

plagiarism N. / 剽窃 /theft of another's ideas or writings passed off as original. The editor recognized the

plagiarism and rebuked the culprit who had presented the manuscript as original.

plagiarize V. / 剽窃 /steal another's ideas and pass them off as one's own. The teacher could tell that the

student had plagiarized parts of his essay; she could recognize whole paragraphs straight from

Barron's Book Notes.

plaintive ADJ. /哀伤的/mournful. The dove has a plaintive and melancholy call.

plasticity N. /塑性/ability to be molded. When clay dries out, it loses its plasticity and becomes less malleable.

platitude N. / 陈词滥调 /trite remark; commonplace statement. In giving advice to his son, old Polonius

expressed himself only in platitudes; every word out of his mouth was a commonplace.

plaudit N. /喝彩/enthusiastically worded approval; round of applause. The theatrical company reprinted the

plaudits of the critics in its advertisements. plauditory,ADJ.

plausible ADJ. / 似是而非的 /having a show of truth but open to doubt; specious. Your mother made you stay

home from school because she needed you to program the VCR? I'm sorry, you'll have to come up

with a more plausible excuse than that.

plenitude N. /充分，富足/abundance; completeness. Looking in the pantry, we admired the plenitude of fruits

and pickles we had preserved during the summer.

plethora N. /过剩；过多/excess; overabundance. She offered a plethora of excuses for her shortcomings.

pliable ADJ. / 圆滑的；柔韧的；易弯曲的 /flexible; yielding; adaptable. In remodeling the bathroom, we have

replaced all the old, rigid lead pipes with new, pliable copper tubing.

pliant ADJ. / 顺从的 /flexible; easily influenced. Pinocchio's disposition was pliant, he was like putty in his

tempters' hands.

plight N. /情况，状况；困境/condition, state (especially a bad state or condition); predicament. Many people

feel that the federal government should do more to alleviate the plight of the homeless. Loggers,

unmoved by the plight of the spotted owl, plan to continue logging whether or not they ruin the

owl's habitat.

plumb ADJ. /垂直；铅锤；用铅锤量/checking perpendicularity; vertical. Before hanging wallpaper it is advisable

to drop a plumb line from the ceiling as a guide. also N. andV.

plumage N. /鸟类的羽毛/feathers of a bird. Bird watchers identify different species of bird by their characteristic

songs and distinctive plumage.

plummet V. /垂直落下/fall sharply. Stock prices plummeted as Wall Street reacted to the crisis in the economy.

Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

plutocracy N. /富豪统治/society ruled by the wealthy. From the way the government caters to the rich, you might

think our society is a plutocracy rather than a democracy.

podiatrist N. /足病医生/doctor who treats ailments of the feet. He consulted a podiatrist about his fallen arches.

podium N. / 指台；台挥检阅 /pedestal; raised platform. The audience applauded as the conductor made his

way to the podium.

poignancy N. /强烈的；感人的；尖锐的/quality of being deeply moving; keenness of emotion. Watching the tearful

reunion of the long-separated mother and child, the social worker was touched by the poignancy of

the scene. poignant,ADJ.

polarize V. /极化；分化；两极分化/split into opposite extremes or camps. The abortion issue has polarized the

country into pro-choice and anti-abortion camps. polarization, N.

polemical ADJ. / 的，好的辩论辩 /aggressive in verbal attack; disputatious. Lexy was a master of polemical rhetoric;

she should have worn a T-shirt with the slogan "Born to Debate."

politic ADJ. / 精明的；明智的；诡计多端的；谨慎的 /expedient; prudent; well advised. Even though he was

disappointed by the size of the bonus he was offered, he did not think it politic to refuse it.

polygamist N. /多配偶/one who has more than one spouse at a time. He was arrested as a polygamist when his

two wives filed complaints about him.

polyglot ADJ. / 多语言 /speaking several languages. New York City is a polyglot community because of the

thousands of immigrants who settle there.

pomposity N. / 夸大，华丽；浮夸；自大 /self-important behavior; acting like a stuffed shirt. Although the

commencement speaker had some good things to say, we had to laugh at his pomposity and general

air of parading his own dignity. POMPOUS,ADJ.

ponderous ADJ. /沉重的；笨重的；呆板的；冗长的/weighty; unwieldy. His humor lacked the light touch; his jokes were

always ponderous.

pontifical ADJ. /教皇的；主教的/pertaining to a bishop or pope; pompous or pretentious. From his earliest days at

the seminary, John seemed destined for a high pontifical office. However, he sounded so pompous

when he pontificated that he never was chosen pontiff after all.

pore V. /沉思；考察；深思熟虑；小孔，细口/study industriously; ponder; scrutinize. Determined to become a

physician, Beth spent hours poring over her anatomy text.

porous ADJ. / 筛子似的 /full of pores; like a sieve. Dancers like to wear porous clothing because it allows the

ready passage of water and air.

portend V. / 预示 /foretell; presage. The king did not know what these omens might portend and asked his

soothsayers to interpret them.

portent N. /征兆/sign; omen; forewarning. He regarded the black cloud as a portent of evil.

portly ADJ. /健壮的；肥胖的；魁梧的 /stately; stout. The overweight gentleman was referred to as portly by the

polite salesclerk.

poseur N. /装模作样的人；邯郸学步 /person who pretends to be sophisticated, elegant, etc., to impress others.

Some thought Salvador Dali was a brilliant painter; others dismissed him as a poseur.

posterity N. /子孙；后裔/descendants; future generations. We hope to leave a better world to posterity.

posthumous ADJ. /身后的；遗腹的（书出版于作者死后，孩子生于父亲死后） /after death (as of child born after

father's death or book published after author's death). The critics ignored his works during his lifetime;

it was only after the posthumous publication of his last novel that they recognized his great talent.

postulate N. /前提；基于的假定/essential premise; underlying assumption. The basic postulate of democracy, set

forth in the Declaration of Independence, is that all men are created equal.

potable ADJ. /可饮用的 /suitable for drinking. The recent drought in the Middle Atlantic states has emphasized

the need for extensive research in ways of making sea water potable. also N.

potent ADJ. /有效的/powerful; persuasive; greatly influential. Looking at the expiration date on the cough syrup

bottle, we wondered whether the medication would still be potent. potency, N.

potentate N. /当者权 /monarch; sovereign. The potentate spent more time at Monte Carlo than he did at home on

his throne.

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potential ADJ. /潜在的/expressing possibility; latent. This juvenile delinquent is a potential murderer. also N.

potion N. /剂量/dose (of liquid). Tristan and Isolde drink a love potion in the first act of the opera.

practicable ADJ. / 可行的 /feasible. The board of directors decided that the plan was practicable and agreed to

undertake the project.

practical ADJ. / 有用的；经验的；实践证明的 /based on experience; useful. He was a practical man, opposed to

theory.

practitioner N. /从业者 /someone engaged in a profession (law, medicine). In need of a hip replacement,

Carl sought a practitioner with considerable experience performing this particular surgery.

pragmatic ADJ. / 实际的；注重实效的 /practical (as opposed to idealistic); concerned with the practical worth or

impact of something. This coming trip to France should provide me with a pragmatic test of the value

of my conversational French class.

pragmatist N. /爱管闲事的人；实用主义者 /practical person. No pragmatist enjoys becoming involved in a game he

can never win.

prank N. /胡闹；打扮/mischievous trick. Is tipping over garbage cans on Halloween merely a childish prank,

or is it vandalism?

prate V. / 空 /speak foolishly; boast idly. Let us not prate about our good qualities; rather, let our virtues

speak for themselves.

prattle V. / 聊；胡；废；叨闲说话唠 /babble. Baby John prattled on and on about the cats and his ball and the

Cookie Monster.

preamble N. / 导言；介绍词 /introductory statement. In the Preamble to the Constitution, the purpose of the

document is set forth.

precarious ADJ. /不确定的；冒险风 /uncertain; risky. Saying the stock would be a precarious investment, the broker

advised her client against purchasing it.

precedent N. / 先例/something preceding in time that may be used as an authority or guide for future action. If I

buy you a car for your sixteenth birthday, your brothers will want me to buy them cars when they turn

sixteen, too; I can't afford to set such an expensive precedent. The law professor asked Jill to state

which famous case served as a precedent for the court's decision in Brown ll.

Word List 37 precept-propitiate

precept N. /规则/practical rule guiding conduct. "Love thy neighbor as thyself" is a worthwhile precept.

precinct N. /行政区/district or division of a city. Ed McBain's detective novels set in the 87th precinct provide an

exciting picture of police work.

precipice N. /悬崖；危险的位置/cliff; dangerous position. Suddenly Indiana Jones found himself dangling from the

edge of a precipice.

precipitate ADJ. /匆忙的；突然的；未成熟的；草率的/rash; premature; hasty; sudden. Though I was angry enough to

resign on the spot, I had enough sense to keep myself from quitting a job in such a precipitate

fashion.

precipitate V. / 下降；下坠 /throw headlong; hasten. The removal of American political support appears to have

precipitated the downfall of the Marcos regime.

precipitous ADJ. /陡峭的；急躁的/steep; overhasty. This hill is difficult to climb because it is so precipitous; one slip,

and our descent will be precipitous as well.

précis N. /大纲；摘要/concise summing up of main points. Before making her presentation at the conference,

Ellen wrote up a neat précis of the major elements she would cover.

precise ADJ. /精确的/exact. If you don't give me precise directions and a map, I'll never find your place.

preclude V. / 消灭；杜绝 /make impossible; eliminate. The fact that the band was already booked to play in

Hollywood on New Year's Eve precluded their accepting the New Year's Eve gig in London they were

offered.

precocious ADJ. / 早熟的 /advanced in development. Listening to the grown-up way the child discussed serious

topics, we couldn't help remarking how precocious she was. precocity, N.

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precursor N. /领跑者，先驱 /forerunner. Though Gray and Burns share many traits with the Romantic poets who

followed them, most critics consider them precursors of the Romantic Movement, not true Romantics.

predator N. /捕食者 /creature that seizes and devours another animal; person who robs or exploits others. Not

just cats, but a wide variety of predators-owls, hawks, weasels, foxescatch mice for dinner. A

carnivore is by definition predatory, for he preys on weaker creatures.

predecessor N. /前任；前辈/former occupant of a post. I hope I can live up to the fine example set by my

late predecessor in this office.

predetermine V. /预定；预先确定 /predestine; settle or decide beforehand; influence markedly. Romeo and

Juliet believed that Fate had predetermined their meeting. Bea gathered estimates from caterers,

florists, and stationers so that she could predetermine the costs of holding a catered buffet. Philip's

love of athletics predetermined his choice of a career in sports marketing.

predicamentN. / 困境；危险的境地；两难 /tricky or dangerous situation; dilemma. Tied to the railroad tracks by the

villain, Pauline strained against her bonds. How would she escape from this terrible predicament?

predilection N. /偏爱；偏好/partiality; preference. Although I have written all sorts of poetry over the years, I have a

definite predilection for occasional verse.

predispose V. /预先安排，使其偏向于/give an inclination toward; make susceptible to. Oleg's love of dressing up his

big sister's Barbie doll may have predisposed him to become a fashion designer. Genetic influences

apparently predispose people to certain forms of cancer.

preeminent ADJ. /出色的；出类拔萃的 /outstanding; superior. The king traveled to Boston because he wanted the

preeminent surgeon in the field to perform the operation.

preempt V. /排，代替；阻止；占；先制人挤抢发 /head off; forestall by acting first; appropriate for oneself; supplant.

Hoping to preempt any attempts by the opposition to make educational reform a hot political issue,

the candidate set out her own plan to revitalize the public schools. preemptive,ADJ.

preen V. /把自己打扮漂亮；自我满足；鸟类用嘴梳理羽毛/make oneself tidy in appearance; feel self-satisfaction. As

Kitty preened before the mirror, carefully smoothing her shining hair, she couldn't help preening over

how pretty she looked.

prehensile ADJ. /可以得到的；可以抓住的/capable of grasping or holding. Monkeys use not only their arms and legs

but also their prehensile tails in traveling through the trees.

prelate N. / 高教士级 /church dignitary. The archbishop of Moscow and other high-ranking prelates visited the

Russian Orthodox seminary.

prelude N. / 序；先；先导驱 /introduction; forerunner. I am afraid that this border raid is the prelude to more

serious attacks.

premeditate V. / 预谋，预先考虑 /plan in advance. She had premeditated the murder for months, reading about

common poisons and buying weed killer that contained arsenic.

premise N. /假定，假；前提设 /assumption; postulate. Based on the premise that there's no fool like an old fool,

P. T. Barnum hired a ninety-year-old clown for his circus.

premonition N. /前兆/forewarning. We ignored these premonitions of disaster because they appeared to be based

on childish fears.

preposterous ADJ. / 荒唐的 /absurd; ridiculous. When he tried to downplay his youthful experiments with

marijuana by saying he hadn't inhaled, we all thought, "What a preposterous excuse!"

prerogative N. / 特权 /privilege; unquestionable right. The president cannot levy taxes; that is the

prerogative of the legislative branch of government.

presage V. /预示/foretell. The vultures flying overhead presaged the discovery of the corpse in the desert.

prescience N. / 预示能力 /ability to foretell the future. Given the current wave of Japan-bashing, it does not take

prescience for me to foresee problems in our future trade relations with Japan.

presentiment N. /预感/feeling something will happen; anticipatory fear; premonition. Saying goodbye at the

airport, Jack had a sudden presentiment that this was the last time he would see Jill.

prestige N. / 声望；威信 /impression produced by achievements or reputation. Many students want to go to

Harvard College not for the education offered but for the prestige of Harvard's name.

presumptuous ADJ. /自大；轻狂；专横/overconfident; impertinently bold; taking liberties. Matilda thought it was

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somewhat presumptuous of the young man to have addressed her without first having been

introduced. Perhaps manners were freer here in the New World.

pretentious ADJ. /自命不凡；华而不实；自大/ostentatious; pompous; making unjustified claims; overly ambitious. None

of the other prize winners are wearing their medals; isn't it a bit pretentious of you to wear yours?

preternatural ADJ. /超自然的/beyond what is normal in nature. Malcolm's mother's total ability to tell when he

was lying struck him as almost preternatural.

pretext N. /借口；托辞/excuse. He looked for a good pretext to get out of paying a visit to his aunt.

prevail V. /导致，促使；击败；盛行/induce; triumph over. He tried to prevail on her to type his essay for him.

prevalent ADJ. /普遍的；流行的/widespread; generally accepted. A radical committed to social change, Reed had

no patience with the conservative views prevalent in the America of his day.

prevaricate V. /撒谎；支吾，搪塞；糊弄/lie. Some people believe that to prevaricate in a good cause is justifiable and

regard such a statement as a "white lie."

prey N. /猎物；受害人，牺牲品/target of a hunt; victim. In Stalking the Wild Asparagus, Euell Gibbons has as

his prey not wild beasts but wild plants. alsoV.

prim ADJ. /整洁的；精准的，精确的/very precise and formal; exceedingly proper. Many people commented on

the contrast between the prim attire of the young lady and the inappropriate clothing worn by her

escort.

primordial ADJ. /原始的；与同在的时间 /existing at the beginning (of time); rudimentary. The Neanderthal Man is one

of our primordial ancestors.

primp V. /打扮/groom oneself with care; adorn oneself. The groom stood by idly while his nervous bride-to-be

primped one last time before the mirror.

pristine ADJ. /史前的；质朴的/characteristic of earlier times; primitive; unspoiled. This area has been preserved in

all its pristine wildness.

privation N. /困难，困苦；短缺，缺少/hardship; want. In his youth, he knew hunger and privation.

probe V. /探测/explore with tools. The surgeon probed the wound for foreign matter before suturing it. also N.

problematic ADJ. /忧郁的；忧心忡忡的；心存疑虑的；有疑问的/doubtful; unsettled; questionable; perplexing. Given the

way building costs have exceeded estimates for the job, whether the arena will ever be completed is

problematic.

proclivity N. /倾向；自然倾向/inclination; natural tendency. Watching the two-year-old voluntarily put away his toys,

I was amazed by his proclivityfor neatness.

procrastinate V. /推迟；延期/postpone; delay or put off. Looking at four years of receipts and checks he still

had to sort through, Bob was truly sorry he had procrastinated for so long and not finished filing his

taxes long ago.

prod V. /刺；刺激；激励/poke; stir up; urge. If you prod him hard enough, he'll eventually clean his room.

prodigal ADJ. / 浪费的 /wasteful; reckless with money. Don't be so prodigal spending my money; when you've

earned some money yourself, you can waste it as much as you want! also N.

prodigious ADJ. /巨大的 /marvelous; enormous. Watching the champion weight lifter heave the weighty barbell to

shoulder height and then boost it overhead, we marveled at his prodigious strength.

prodigy N. / 奇才；天才 /marvel; highly gifted child. Menuhin was a prodigy, performing wonders on his violin

when he was barely eight years old.

profane V. /亵渎/violate; desecrate; treat unworthily. The members of the mysterious Far Eastern cult sought to

kill the British explorer because he had profaned the sanctity of their holy goblet by using it as an

ashtray. alsoADJ.

profligate ADJ. /放的；放肆的；不点的荡检 /dissipated; wasteful; wildly immoral. Although surrounded by wild and

profligate companions, she nevertheless managed to retain some sense of decency.

profound ADJ. /深刻的/deep; not superficial; complete. Freud's remarkable insights into human behavior caused

his fellow scientists to honor him as a profound thinker. profundity, N.

profusion N. / 过量；过剩 /overabundance; lavish expenditure; excess. Freddy was so overwhelmed by the

profusion of choices on the menu that he knocked over his wine glass and soaked his host. He made

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profuse apologies to his host, the waiter, the bus boy, the people at the next table, and the attendant

handing out paper towels.

progenitor N. /祖先/ancestor. The Roth family, whose progenitors emigrated from Germany early in the nineteenth

century, settled in Peru, Illinois.

progeny N. /后裔/children; offspring. He was proud of his progeny in general, but regarded George as the most

promising of all his children.

prognosis N. /预言；疾病警告/forecasted course of a disease; prediction. If the doctor's prognosis is correct, the

patient will be in a coma for at least twenty-four hours.

projectile N. /发射；导弹/missile. Man has always hurled projectiles at his enemy whether in the form of stones or

of highly explosive shells.

proletarian N. /无产的；的阶级蓝领 /member of the working class; blue collar person. "Workers of the world, unite!

You have nothing to lose but your chains" is addressed to proletarians, not preppies. So is Blue Collar

Holler. proletariat, N.

proliferation N. / 迅速增长，倍增；扩散 /rapid growth; spread; multiplication. Times of economic hardship inevitably

encourage the proliferation of countless get-rich-quick schemes. proliferate,V.

prolific ADJ. /多产的；丰富的/abundantly fruitful. My editors must assume I'm a prolific writer: they expect me to

revise six books this year!

prolixity N. / 冗的；的长啰嗦 /tedious wordiness; verbosity. A writer who suffers from prolixity tells his readers

everything they never wanted to know about his subject (or were too bored to ask). prolix,ADJ.

prologue N. / 序（歌，歌剧的）诗 /introduction (to a poem or play). In the prologue to Romeo and Juliet,

Shakespeare introduces the audience to the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets.

prolong V. /拖延 /make longer; draw out; lengthen. In their determination to discover ways to prolong human

life, doctors fail to take into account that longer lives are not always happier ones.

prominent ADJ. / 显著的；突出的；卓越的 /conspicuous; notable; sticking out. Have you ever noticed that Prince

Charles's prominent ears make him look like the big-eared character in Mad comics?

promiscuous ADJ. / 随意混合的；打乱的；随便的 /mixed indiscriminately; haphazard; irregular, particularly

sexually. In the opera La Boheme, we get a picture of the promiscuous life led by the young artists of

Paris.

promontory N. /岬；海角/headland. They erected a lighthouse on the promontory to warn approaching ships of their

nearness to the shore.

promote V. / 提升；促进 /help to flourish; advance in rank; publicize. Founder of the Children's Defense Fund,

Marian Wright Edelman ceaselessly promotes the welfare of young people everywhere. 0

prompt V. /提示；鼓动；迅速及的时 /cause; provoke; provide a cue for an actor. Whatever prompted you to ask

for such a big piece of cake when you're on a diet?

promulgate V. /发布；公布/proclaim a doctrine or law; make known by official publication. When Moses came down

from the mountain top all set to promulgate God's commandments, he freaked out on discovering his

followers worshipping a golden calf.

prone ADJ. /倾向于 /inclined to; prostrate. She was prone to sudden fits of anger during which she would lie

prone on the floor, screaming and kicking her heels.

propagate V. / 迅速增长，传播，扩散 /multiply; spread. Since bacteria propagate more quickly in unsanitary

environments, it is important to keep hospital rooms clean.

propellants N. /推进剂/substances that propel or drive forward. The development of our missile program has forced

our scientists to seek more powerful propellants.

propensity N. / 自然倾向 /natural inclination. Convinced of his own talent, Sol has an unfortunate propensity to

belittle the talents of others.

prophetic ADJ. /预言的/foretelling the future. I have no magical prophetic powers; when I predict what will happen,

I base my predictions on common sense. prophesy,V.

propinquity N. /亲近；血缘/nearness; kinship. Their relationship could not be explained as being based on

mere propinquity; they were more than relatives, they were true friends.

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propitiate V. /劝解；平静；安抚/appease. The natives offered sacrifices to propitiate the gods.

Word List 38 propitious-quarry

propitious ADJ. /吉利的；有利的/favorable; fortunate; advantageous. Chloe consulted her horoscope to see whether

Tuesday would be a propitious day to dump her boyfriend.

proponent N. /支持者；建者议 /supporter; backer; opposite of opponent. In the Senate, proponents of the universal

health care measure lobbied to gain additional support for the controversial legislation.

propound V. / 提出 /put forth for analysis. In your discussion, you have propounded several questions; let us

consider each one separately.

propriety N. / 适当 /fitness; correct conduct. Miss Manners counsels her readers so that they may behave with

due propriety in any social situation and not embarrass themselves.

propulsive ADJ. /推进的；有推进力的 /driving forward. The jet plane has a greater propulsive power than the engine-

driven plane.

prosaic ADJ. /事实的；平淡的；缺乏想象力的/dull and unimaginative; matter-of-fact; factual. Though the ad writers

came up with an original way to publicize the product, the head office rejected it for a more prosaic,

ordinary slogan.

proscribe V. / 禁止 /ostracize; banish; outlaw. Antony, Octavius, and Lepidus proscribed all those who had

conspired against Julius Caesar.

proselytize V. /劝其改宗；改宗/convert to a religion or belief. In these interfaith meetings, there must be no attempt

to proselytize; we must respect all points of view.

prosperity N. / 繁荣；好运 /good fortune; financial success; physical well-being. Promising to stay together "for

richer, for poorer," the newlyweds vowed to be true to one another in prosperity and hardship alike.

prostrate V. /弄倒；降伏/stretch out full on ground. He prostrated himself before the idol. alsoADJ.

protean ADJ. / 变化多端的 /versatile; able to take on many shapes. A remarkably protean actor, Alec Guinness

could take on any role.

protégé N. / 被保人护 /person receiving protection and support from a patron. Born with an independent spirit,

Cyrano de Bergerac refused to be a protégé of Cardinal Richelieu.

protocol N. /协议/diplomatic etiquette. We must run this state dinner according to protocol if we are to avoid

offending any of our guests.

prototype N. / 原型/original work used as a model by others. The crude typewriter on display in this museum is

the prototype of the elaborate machines in use today.

protract V. /延长 /prolong. Seeking to delay the union members' vote, the management team tried to protract

the negotiations endlessly.

protrude V. /突出/stick out. His fingers protruded from the holes in his gloves. protrusion, N.

protuberance N. /隆起；突出；瘤/protrusion; bulge. A ganglionic cyst is a fluid-filled tumor that develops near

a joint membrane or tendon sheath, and that bulges beneath the skin, forming a protuberance.

provident ADJ. /有远见的/displaying foresight; thrifty; preparing for emergencies. In his usual provident manner, he

had insured himself against this type of loss.

provincial ADJ. / 省级的；视野不宽的；简单的 /pertaining to a province; limited in outlook; unsophisticated. As

provincial governor, Sir Henry administered the Queen's law in his remote corner of Canada. Caught

up in local problems, out of touch with London news, he became sadly provincial.

provisional ADJ. /临时的/tentative. Kim's acceptance as an American Express card holder was provisional: before

issuing her a card, American Express wanted to check her employment record and credit history.

provocative ADJ. /煽动的；刺激的；激怒的/arousing anger or interest; annoying. In a typically provocative act, the bully

kicked sand into the weaker man's face.

provoke V. / 激怒；惹；煽动；挑起 /stir to anger; cause retaliation. In order to prevent a sudden outbreak of

hostilities, we must not provoke our foe. provocation, N; provocative,ADJ.

prowess N. /非常勇猛/extraordinary ability; military bravery. Performing triple axels and double lutzes at the age

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of six, the young figure skater was world famous for her prowess on the ice.

proximity N. / 接近；亲近 /nearness. Blind people sometimes develop a compensatory ability to sense the

proximity of objects around them.

proxy N. /代理/authorized agent. Please act as my proxy and vote for this slate of candidates in my absence.

prude N. /规矩的人；正经人；故作正经的人/excessively modest person. The X-rated film was definitely not for

prudes, prudish,ADJ.

prudent ADJ. / 谨慎的 /cautious; careful. A miser hoards money not because he is prudent but because he is

greedy. prudence, N.

prune V. / 切掉；修剪 /cut away; trim. With the help of her editor, she was able to prune her overlong

manuscript into publishable form.

prurient ADJ. /好色的；渴望的/having or causing lustful thoughts and desires. Aroused by his prurient impulses,

the dirty old man leered at the sweet young thing and offered to give her a sample of his "prowess."

pseudonym N. /假名；名笔 /pen name. Samuel Clemens' pseudonym was Mark Twain.

psyche N. /灵魂/soul; mind. It is difficult to delve into the psyche of a human being.

pterodactyl N. / 翼龙 /extinct flying reptile. The remains of pterodactyls indicate that these flying reptiles had a

wingspan of as much as twenty feet.

puerile ADJ. /幼稚的，孩子气的/childish. His puerile pranks sometimes offended his more mature friends.

pugilist N. /拳击家/boxer. The famous pugilist Cassius Clay changed his name to Muhammed Ali.

pugnacity N. /好斗的/combativeness; disposition to fight. "Put up your dukes!" he cried, making a fist to show his

pugnacity. pugnacious,ADJ.

pulchritude N. / 美丽；标致 /beauty; comeliness. I do not envy the judges who have to select this year's Miss

America from this collection of female pulchritude.

pulverize V. / 磨碎；粉碎 /crush or grind into dust. Before sprinkling the dried herbs into the stew, Michael first

pulverized them into a fine powder.

pummel V. /用拳打头 /beat or pound with fists. Swinging wildly, Pam pummeled her brother around the head and

shoulders.

punctilious ADJ. /谨小慎微的；一丝不苟的/laying stress on niceties of conduct or form; minutely attentive to fine points

(perhaps too much so). Percy is punctilious about observing the rules of etiquette whenever Miss

Manners invites him to stay. punctiliousness.N.

pundit N. /博学者；梵文学家/authority on a subject; learned person; expert. Some authors who write about SAT

I as if they are pundits actually know very little about the test.

pungent ADJ. / 刺激的；辛辣的；尖的锐 /stinging; sharp in taste or smell; caustic. The pungent odor of ripe

Limburger cheese appealed to Simone but made Stanley gag.

punitive ADJ. /惩罚的/punishing. He asked for punitive measures against the offender.

puny ADJ. /不显著的；不明显的；微的细 /insignificant; tiny; weak. Our puny efforts to stop the flood were futile.

purchase N. / 赢得；换得；努力争取得；购买 /firm grasp or footing. The mountaineer struggled to get a proper

purchase on the slippery rock. (secondary meaning)

purge V. /净化；清除；拉肚子 /remove or get rid of something unwanted; free from blame or guilt; cleanse or

purify. When the Communist government purged the party to get rid of members suspected of

capitalist sympathies, they sent the disloyal members to labor camps in Siberia.

purported ADJ. / 传说的；谣传的 /alleged; claimed; reputed or rumored. The purported Satanists sacrificing live

roosters in the park turned out to be a party of Shriners holding a chicken barbecue.

purse V. /折叠；褶皱；钱包；手提包（女式）/pucker; contract into wrinkles. Miss Watson pursed her lips to show

her disapproval of Huck's bedraggled appearance.

purveyor N. /承办商 /furnisher of foodstuffs; caterer. As purveyor of rare wines and viands, he traveled through

France and Italy every year in search of new products to sell.

pusillanimous ADJ. /懦弱的；优柔寡断的/cowardly; fainthearted. You should be ashamed of your pusillanimous

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conduct during this dispute.

putrid ADJ. /恶臭的；腐烂的/foul; rotten; decayed. The gangrenous condition of the wound was indicated by the

putrid smell when the bandages were removed. putrescence, N.

pyromaniac N. / 火狂纵 /person with an insane desire to set things on fire. The detectives searched the area for the

pyromaniac who had set these costly fires.

quack N. /骗子；吹嘘的人 /charlatan; impostor. Do not be misled by the exorbitant claims of this quack; he

cannot cure you.

quadruped N. /四足动物/four-footed animal. Most mammals are quadrupeds.

quaff V. /一而尽饮 /drink with relish. As we quaffed our ale, we listened to the lively songs of the students in

the tavern.

quagmire N. / 沼；湿地泽 /soft wet boggy land; complex or dangerous situation from which it is difficult to free

oneself. Up to her knees in mud, Myra wondered how on earth she was going to extricate herself

from this quagmire.

quail V. /懦弱；胆怯/cower; lose heart. The Cowardly Lion was afraid that he would quail in the face of danger.

quaint ADJ. / 离奇古怪的；做的精巧的；的过时 /odd; old-fashioned; picturesque. Her quaint clothes and old-

fashioned language marked her as an eccentric.

qualified ADJ. /有资格的；有限制的；被限制的/limited; restricted. Unable to give the candidate full support, the mayor

gave him only a qualified endorsement. (secondary meaning)

qualms N. /担心，害怕；担惊受怕；愧对良心/misgivings; uneasy fears, especially about matters of conscience. I

have no qualms about giving this assignment to Helen; I know she will handle it admirably.

quandary N. /两难的困境/dilemma. When both Harvard and Stanford accepted Laura, she was in a quandary as to

which school she should attend.

quarantine N. /隔离/isolation of person or ship to prevent spread of infection. We will have to place this house under

quarantine until we determine the exact nature of the disease. alsoV.

quarry N. /猎物；受害者/Victim; object of a hunt. The police closed in on their quarry.

quarry V. /挖掘出，寻找出/dig into. They quarried blocks of marble out of the hillside. also N.

Word List 39 quay-recurrent

quay N. /码头/dock; landing place. Because of the captain's carelessness, the ship crashed into the quay.

queasy ADJ. /神的，癖的；易吐的经质洁呕 /easily nauseated; squeamish. Remember that great chase movie, the

one with the carsick passenger? That's right: Queasy Rider!

quell V. /扑灭；镇压；平息 /extinguish; put down; quiet. Miss Minchin's demeanor was so stern and forbidding

that she could quell any unrest among her students with one intimidating glance.

quench V. /弄湿；扑灭；熄灭；淬火 /douse or extinguish; assuage or satisfy. No matter how much water the hiker

drank, she could not quench her thirst.

querulous ADJ. /鸣不平的；易发牢骚的/fretful; whining. Even the most agreeable toddlers can begin to act querulous if

they miss their nap.

query N. / ；问询质问/inquiry; question. In her column "Ask Beth," the columnist invites young readers to send

her their queries about life and love.

quibble N. /遁词；狡辩；支吾；吹毛求疵 /minor objection or complaint. Aside from a few hundred teensy-weensy

quibbles about the set, the script, the actors, the director, the costumes, the lighting, and the props, the

hypercritical critic loved the play. alsoV.

quiescent ADJ. /睡眠的；休息的；暂停活动的 /at rest; dormant; temporarily inactive. After the great eruption, fear of

Mount Etna was great; people did not return to cultivate its rich hillside lands until the volcano had been

quiescent for a full two years. quiescence, N.

quietude N. /平静；宁静/tranquility. He was impressed by the air of quietude and peace that pervaded the valley.

quintessence N. /精粹；精华/purest and highest embodiment. Noel Coward displayed the quintessence of wit.

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quip N. / 嘲弄；讽刺 /taunt. You are unpopular because you are too free with your quips and sarcastic

comments. alsoV.

quirk N. /反复无常；怪僻/startling twist; caprice. By a quirk of fate, he found himself working for the man whom

he had discharged years before.

quiver V. /振动的；颤抖的；敏捷的/tremble; shake. The bird dog's nose twitched and his whiskers quivered as he

strained eagerly against the leash. also N.

quiver N. / 射箭的 /case for arrows. Robin Hood reached back and plucked one last arrow from his quiver.

(secondary meaning)

quixotic ADJ. /空想的；狂想的/idealistic but impractical. Constantly coming up with quixotic, unworkable schemes

to save the world, Simon has his heart in the right place, but his head somewhere in the clouds.

quizzical ADJ. /古怪的；嘲弄的；令人好奇的/teasing; bantering; mocking; curious. When the skinny teenager tripped

over his own feet stepping into the bullpen, Coach raised one quizzical eyebrow, shook his head, and

said, "Okay, kid. You're here, let's see what you've got."

quorum N. /法定人数/number of members necessary to conduct a meeting. The senator asked for a roll call to

determine whether a quorum was present.

rabid ADJ. /狂暴的；激烈的/like a fanatic; furious. He was a rabid follower of the Dodgers and watched them play

whenever he could go to the ball park.

raconteur N. / 善的人；肚子故事的人谈满 /storyteller. My father was a gifted raconteur with an unlimited supply of

anecdotes.

rail V. /责骂；斥责；咆哮/scold; rant. You may rail at him all you want; you will never change him.

raiment N. /衣服/clothing. "How can I go to the ball?" asked Cinderella. "I have no raiment fit to wear."

rally V. /复原，恢复；召集，集合/call up or summon (forces, vital powers, etc.); revive or recuperate. Washington

quickly rallied his troops to fight off the British attack. The patient had been sinking throughout the night,

but at dawn she rallied and made a complete recovery.

ramble V. /游；漫无目的游荡荡/wander aimlessly (physically or mentally). Listening to the teacher ramble, Judy

wondered whether he'd ever get to his point.

ramification N. /分支；分叉/branching out; subdivision. We must examine all the ramifications of this problem.

ramify V. /分支；分开/divide into branches or subdivisions. When the plant begins to ramify, it is advisable to nip

off most of the new branches.

ramp N. /斜面；斜坡/slope; inclined plane. The house was built with ramps instead of stairs in order to enable

the man in the wheelchair to move easily from room to room and floor to floor.

rampant ADJ. /猖獗的；滋生的；猛烈的/growing in profusion; unrestrained. The rampant weeds in the garden choked

the flowers until they died.

ramshackle ADJ. /摇摆的；摇摇欲坠的/rickety; falling apart. The boys propped up the ramshackle clubhouse with a

couple of boards.

rancid ADJ. /油脂一样腐臭的/having the odor of stale fat. A rancid odor filled the ship's galley and nauseated the

crew.

rancor N. / 苦难 /bitterness; hatred. Thirty years after the war, she could not let go of the past but was still

consumed with rancor against the foe.

random ADJ. / 随机的 /without definite purpose, plan, or aim; haphazard. Although the sponsor of the raffle

claimed all winners were chosen at random, people had their suspicions when the grand prize went

to the sponsor's brother-in-law.

rankle V. /激怒；溃烂；化脓/irritate; fester. The memory of having been jilted rankled him for years.

rant V. / 咆哮；激昂的演说；斥责 /rave; talk excitedly; scold; make a grandiloquent speech. When he heard

that I'd totaled the family car, Dad began to rant at me like a complete madman.

rapacious ADJ. /极度贪婪的；捕食的；掠夺的 /excessively greedy; predatory. The rapacious brigands stripped the

villagers of all their possessions. rapacity, N.

rapport N. /情感的亲近；和谐/emotional closeness; harmony. In team teaching, it is important that all teachers in

the group have good rapport with one another.

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rapt ADJ. /迷住的；全神注的贯 /absorbed; enchanted. Caught up in the wonder of the storyteller's tale, the rapt

listeners sat motionless, hanging on his every word.

rarefied ADJ. /稀释（气体）/made less dense (of a gas]. The mountain climbers had difficulty breathing in the

rarefied atmosphere. rarefy,V.

raspy ADJ. /刺耳的；焦躁的/grating; harsh. The sergeant's raspy voice grated on the recruits' ears.

ratify V. /批准，认可/approve formally; confirm; verify. Party leaders doubted that they had enough votes in

both houses of Congress to ratify the constitutional amendment.

ratiocination N. / 推理；推论 /reasoning; act of drawing conclusions from premises. While Watson was a

man of average intelligence, Holmes was a genius, whose gift for ratiocination made him a superb

detective.

rationale N. / 基础科学；基本原理 /fundamental reason or justification; grounds for an action. Her need to have

someplace to hang her earring collection was Dora's rationale for piercing fifteen holes in each ear.

rationalize V. /合理化/give a plausible reason for an action in place of a true, less admirable one; offer an excuse.

When David told gabby Gabrielle he couldn't give her a ride to the dance because he had no room in

the car, he was rationalizing; actually, he couldn't stand being cooped up in a car with anyone who

talked as much as she did.

raucous ADJ. /沙的哑 /harsh and shrill; disorderly and boisterous. The raucous crowd of New Year's Eve revelers

got progressively noisier as midnight drew near.

rave N. /咆哮/overwhelmingly favorable review. Though critic John Simon seldom has a good word to say

about most contemporary plays, his review of All in the Timing was a total rave.

ravel V. /使混乱；解开混乱，解决混乱/fall apart into tangles; unravel or untwist; entangle. A single thread pulled

loose, and the entire scarf started to ravel.

ravenous ADJ. /饥饿的/extremely hungry. The ravenous dog upset several garbage pails in its search for food.

raze V. / 彻底摧毁 /destroy completely. Spelling is important: to raise a building is to put it up; to raze a

building is to tear it down.

reactionary ADJ. / 反作用的 /recoiling from progress; politically ultraconservative. Opposing the use of English in

worship services, reactionary forces in the church fought to reinstate the mass in Latin.

realm N. /领域/kingdom; field or sphere. In the animal realm, the lion is the king of beasts.

reaper N. / 收割者；收割机 /one who harvests grain. Death, the Grim Reaper, cuts down mortal men and

women, just as a farmer cuts down the ripened grain. reap,V.

rebuff V. /回绝/snub; beat back. She rebuffed his invitation so smoothly that he did not realize he had been

snubbed. also N.

rebuke V. /严厉批评；猛烈的训斥/scold harshly; criticize severely. No matter how sharply Miss Watson rebuked

Huck for his misconduct, he never talked back but just stood there like a stump. also N.

rebuttal N. / 斥；举反驳证/refutation; response with contrary evidence. The defense lawyer confidently listened

to the prosecutor sum up his case, sure that she could answer his arguments in her rebuttal.

recalcitrant ADJ. /反抗的；顽抗的/obstinately stubborn; determined to resist authority; unruly. Which animal do you

think is more recalcitrant, a pig or a mule?

recant V. /放弃；宣布放弃/disclaim or disavow; retract a previous statement; openly confess error. Those who

can, keep true to their faith; those who can't, recant. Hoping to make Joan of Arc recant her sworn

testimony, her English captors tried to convince her that her visions had been sent to her by the Devil.

recapitulate V. /概括；总结/summarize. Let us recapitulate what has been said thus far before going ahead.

recast V. /重建/reconstruct (a sentence, story, etc.); fashion again. Let me recast this sentence in terms your

feeble brain can grasp: in words of one syllable, you are a fool.

receptive ADJ. /善于接受的/quick or willing to receive ideas, suggestions, etc. Adventure-loving Huck Finn proved

a receptive audience for Tom's tales of buried treasure and piracy.

recession N. / 撤退 /withdrawal; retreat; time of low economic activity. The slow recession of the flood waters

created problems for the crews working to restore power to the area. recede,V.

recidivism N. /累犯；惯犯/habitual return to crime. Prison reformers in the United States are disturbed by the high

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rate of recidivism; the number of men serving second and third terms in prison indicates the failure of

prisons to rehabilitate the inmates.

recipient N. /接受的西；容器东 /receiver. Although he had been the recipient of many favors, he was not grateful

to his benefactor.

reciprocal ADJ. /互相的；互动的；互惠的/mutual; exchangeable; interacting. The two nations signed a reciprocal

trade agreement.

reciprocate V. /互给；呼唤；酬答/repay in kind. If they attack us, we shall be compelled to reciprocate and bomb

their territory. reciprocity, N.

recluse N. /隐遁者；寂寞者 /hermit; loner. Disappointed in love, Miss Emily became a recluse; she shut herself

away in her empty mansion and refused to see another living soul. reclusive,ADJ.

reconcile V. /抛弃前嫌；不打不相；为好友；化解冲突识结 /correct inconsistencies; become friendly after a quarrel. Each

month when we try to reconcile our checkbook with the bank statement, we quarrel. However, despite

these monthly lovers' quarrels, we always manage to reconcile.

reconnaissance N. / 侦查 /survey of enemy by soldiers; reconnoitering. If you encounter any enemy soldiers

during your reconnaissance, capture them for questioning.

recount V. / 解说，告诉；重新数 /narrate or tell; count over again. A born storyteller, my father loved to recount

anecdotes about his early years in New York.

recourse N. /求助；求援 /resorting to help when in trouble. The boy's only recourse was to appeal to his father for

aid.

recrimination N. / 反责；反击 /countercharges. Loud and angry recriminations were her answer to his

accusations.

rectify V. /纠正/set right; correct. You had better send a check to rectify your account before American Express

cancels your credit card.

rectitude N. /垂直；正直；公正/uprightness; moral virtue; correctness of judgment. The Eagle Scout was a model of

rectitude.

recumbent ADJ. /靠着的；斜躺的；不动的；休息的 /reclining; lying down completely or in part. The command "AT EASE"

does not permit you to take a recumbent position.

recuperate V. /恢复/recover. The doctors were worried because the patient did not recuperate as rapidly as they had

expected.

recurrent ADJ. / 一遍又一遍生的；循生的发环发 /occurring again and again. Richard's recurrent asthma attacks

disturbed us and we consulted a physician.

Word List 40 redolent-rescind

redolent ADJ. /有味道的；有香味儿的/fragrant; odorous; suggestive of an odor. Even though it is February, the air is

redolent of spring.

redoubtable ADJ. / 可怕的 /formidable; causing fear. During the Cold War period, neighboring countries tried not to

offend the Russians because they could be redoubtable foes.

redress N. / 偿；偿补赔 /remedy; compensation. Do you mean to tell me that I can get no redress for my injuries?

also v.

redundant ADJ. /冗余的；多余的/superfluous; repetitious; excessivejy wordy. The bottle of wine I brought to Bob's was

certainly redundant how was I to know Bob owned a winery? In your essay, you repeat several points

unnecessarily; try to be less redundant in the future. redundancy, N.

reek V. /散（气味）发 /emit (odor). The room reeked with stale tobacco smoke. also N.

refraction N. /（光的）折射，弯曲线 /bending of a ray of light. When you look at a stick inserted in water, it looks bent

because of the refraction of the light by the water.

refractory ADJ. /按不住的；不服气的；倔强的 /stubborn; unmanageable. The refractory horse was eliminated from the

race when he refused to obey the jockey.

refrain V. /抵制；抵抗；远离，节制 /abstain from; resist. Whenever he heard a song with a lively chorus, Sol could

never refrain from joining in on the refrain.

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refurbish V. /刷新；修复；擦亮/renovate; make bright by polishing. The flood left a deposit of mud on everything; we

had to refurbish our belongings.

refute V. /反驳 /disprove. The defense called several respectable witnesses who were able to refute the false

testimony of the prosecution's sole witness. refutation, N.

regal ADJ. /皇家的/royal. Prince Albert had a regal manner.

regale V. /取悦，娱乐，享受/entertain. John regaled us with tales of his adventures in Africa.

regime N. /政体/method or system of government. When the French mention the Old Regime, they refer to the

government existing before the revolution.

regimen N. /摄生法/prescribed diet and habits. I doubt whether the results warrant our living under such a strict

regimen.

rehabilitate V. /恢复；复原/restore to proper condition. We must rehabilitate those whom we send to prison.

reimburse V. /偿 /repay. Let me know what you have spent and I will reimburse you.

reiterate V. /重申；重复/repeat. He reiterated the warning to make sure everyone understood it.

rejoinder N. / 反驳；回应 /retort; comeback; reply. When someone has been rude to me, I find it particularly

satisfying to come up with a quick rejoinder.

rejuvenate V. /返老还童；青春重回/make young again. The charlatan claimed that his elixir would rejuvenate the aged

and weary.

relegate V. /指派；下放；贬/banish to an inferior position; delegate; assign. After Ralph dropped his second tray of

drinks that week, the manager swiftly relegated him to a minor post cleaning up behind the bar.

relent V. / 变宽厚；变温和 /give in. When her stern father would not relent and allow her to marry Robert

Browning, Elizabeth Barrett eloped with her suitor. relentless,ADJ.

relevant ADJ. /有关的；相对的/pertinent; referring to the case in hand. How relevant Virginia Woolf's essays are to

women writers today! It's as if Woolf in the 1930s foresaw our current literary struggles. relevancy, N.

relic N. /纪念物；废墟，遗留/surviving remnant; memento. Egypt's Department of Antiquities prohibits tourists

from taking mummies and other ancient relics out of the country. Mike keeps his photos of his trip to

Egypt in a box with other relics of his travels.

relinquish V. /不情愿的屈服，放弃（某物）/give up something with reluctance; yield. Denise never realized how hard it

would be for her to relinquish her newborn son to the care of his adoptive parents. Once you get used to

fringe benefits like expense account meals and a company car, it's very hard to relinquish them.

relish V. /品味；享受/savor; enjoy. Watching Peter enthusiastically chow down, I thought, "Now there's a man

who relishes a good dinner!" also N.

remediable ADJ. /可挽回的/reparable. Let us be grateful that the damage is remediable.

remedial ADJ. /治的，救的/curative; corrective. Because he was a slow reader, he decided to take a course in

remedial reading.

reminiscence N. /怀旧；回想/recollection. Her reminiscences of her experiences are so fascinating that she

ought to write a book.

remiss ADJ. /玩忽守的，粗心大意的职 /negligent. The guard was accused of being remiss in his duty when the

prisoner escaped.

remission N. /减轻，缓解；宽恕/temporary moderation of disease symptoms; cancellation of a debt; forgiveness or

pardon. Though the senator had been treated for cancer, his symptoms were in remission, and he

was considered fit enough to handle the strains of a presidential race.

remnant N. / 残留物/remainder. I suggest that you wait until the store places the remnants of these goods on

sale.

remonstrance N. /抗议/protest; objection. The authorities were deaf to the pastor's remonstrances about the

lack of police protection in the area. remonstrate,V.

remorse N. /懊悔，自责/guilt; self-reproach. The murderer felt no remorse for his crime.

remunerative ADJ. /有利益的；有报酬的/compensating; rewarding. I find my new work so remunerative that I

may not return to my previous employment. remuneration, N.

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rend V. /分开；撕开/split; tear apart. In his grief, he tried to rend his garments. rent, N.

render V. /呈递；开账单；给予；还以，报以；放弃，投降投降或交出；放弃；描写以文字形式表现，描绘；以图像或绘画表现；

演奏，诠释；翻译；正式宣布；裁决；使成为；熔解，精炼；打底 /deliver; provide; represent. He rendered aid

to the needy and indigent.

rendition N. / 表演，诠释；翻译 /translation; artistic interpretation of a song, etc. The audience cheered

enthusiastically as she completed her rendition of the aria.

renegade N. /变节者/deserter; traitor. Because he had abandoned his post and joined forces with the Indians, his

fellow officers considered the hero of Dances with Wolves a renegade. alsoADJ.

renege V. /食言；反悔；否认；翻供/deny; go back on. He reneged on paying off his debt.

renounce V. / 放弃；断关系绝 /abandon; disown; repudiate. Even though she knew she would be burned at the

stake as a witch, Joan of Arc refused to renounce her belief that her voices came from God.

renunciation, N.

renovate V. /革新；刷新；修复/restore to good condition; renew. They claim that they can renovate worn shoes so

that they look like new ones.

renown N. / 名望 /fame. For many years an unheralded researcher, Barbara McClintock gained international

renown when she won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. renowned,ADJ.

rent N. /撕；裂口/rip; split. Kit did an excellent job of mending the rent in the lining of her coat.

reparable ADJ. /可修复的/capable of being repaired. Fortunately, the damages we suffered in the accident were

reparable and our car looks brand new.

reparation N. /修订；弥补；补偿/amends; compensation. At the peace conference, the defeated country promised

to pay reparations to the victors.

repast N. / 餐；宴会 /meal; feast; banquet. The caterers prepared a delicious repast for Fred and Judy's

wedding day.

repeal V. /废除；撤除/revoke; annul. What would the effect on our society be if we decriminalized drug use by

repealing the laws against the possession and sale of narcotics?

repel V. /撤退；退却/drive away; disgust. At first, the Beast's ferocious appearance repelled Beauty, but she

came to love the tender heart hidden behind that beastly exterior.

repellent ADJ. /排斥的/driving away; unattractive. Mosquitoes find the odor so repellent that they leave any spot

where this liquid has been sprayed. also N.

repercussion N. /反弹；弹回/rebound; reverberation; reaction. I am afraid that this unfortunate incident will

have serious repercussions.

repertoire N. /节目表；保留节目/list of works of music, drama, etc., a performer is prepared to present. The opera

company decided to include Madame Butterfly in its repertoire for the following season.

replenish V. / 充/fill up again. Before she could take another backpacking trip, Carla had to replenish her stock

of freeze-dried foods.

replete ADJ. /充的；充足的满 /filled to the brim or to the point of being stuffed; abundantly supplied. The movie

star's memoir was replete with juicy details about the love life of half of Hollywood.

replica N. /复制/copy. Are you going to hang this replica of the Declaration of Independence in the classroom

or in the auditorium?

replicate V. /复制/reproduce; duplicate. Because he had always wanted a palace, Donald decided to replicate

the Tai Mahal in miniature on his estate.

repository N. /仓库；知识库；智囊团/storehouse. Libraries are repositories of the world's best thoughts.

reprehensible ADJ. /应该谴责的/deserving blame. Shocked by the viciousness of the bombing, politicians of

every party uniformly condemned the terrorists' reprehensible deed.

repress V. / 压迫；压制；压 /restrain; crush; oppress. Anne's parents tried to curb her impetuosity without

repressing her boundless high spirits.

reprieve N. /暂缓；缓刑 /temporary stay. During the twenty-four-hour reprieve, the lawyers sought to make the

stay of execution permanent. alsoV.

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reprimand V. /谴责 /reprove severely; rebuke. Every time Ermengarde made a mistake in class, she was afraid

that Miss Minchin would reprimand her and tell her father how badly she was doing in school. also N.

reprisal N. /报复/retaliation. I am confident that we are ready for any reprisals the enemy may undertake.

reprise N. /年金；重奏；重复的行动 /musical repetition; repeat performance; recurrent action. We enjoyed the

soprano's solo in Act I so much that we were delighted by its reprise in the finale.

reproach V. /表示失望；责备 /express disapproval or disappointment. He never could do anything wrong without

imagining how the look on his mother's face would reproach him afterwards. reproachful,ADJ.

reprobate N. /有重罪的人；道德败坏的人，无耻的人 /person hardened in sin, devoid of a sense of decency. I cannot

understand why he has so many admirers if he is the reprobate you say he is.

reprove V. / 责备 /censure; rebuke. The principal severely reproved the students whenever they talked in the

halls.

repudiate V. /批判/disown; disavow. On separating from Tony, Tina announced that she would repudiate all debts

incurred by her soon-to-be ex-husband.

repugnant ADJ. /不一致的；令人的讨厌 /loathsome; hateful. She found the snake repugnant and looked on it with

loathing and fear.

repulsion N. / 排斥；反驳/distaste; act of driving back. Hating bloodshed, she viewed war with repulsion. Even

defensive battles distressed her, for the repulsion of enemy forces is never accomplished bloodlessly.

reputable ADJ. /著名的；令人尊敬的 /respectable. If you want to buy antiques, look for a reputable dealer; far too

many dealers today pass off fakes as genuine antiques.

reputed ADJ. /名誉好的；有名气的；名誉的/supposed. Though he is the reputed father of the child, no one can be

sure. repute, N.

requiem N. /安弥撒；安歌，挽歌灵灵 /mass for the dead; dirge. They played Mozart's Requiem at the funeral.

requisite N. /必品；必要的须 /necessary requirement. Many colleges state that a student must offer three years of

a language as a requisite for admission.

requite V. /报答；酬谢/repay; revenge. The wretch requited his benefactors by betraying them.

rescind V. /取消 /cancel. Because of the public outcry against the new taxes, the senator proposed a bill to

rescind the unpopular financial measure.

Word List 41 resentment-sacrosanct

resentment N. /怨恨；愤恨/indignation; bitterness; displeasure. Not wanting to appear a sore loser, Bill tried to hide

his resentment of Barry's success.

reserve N. /自我控制；疏远/self-control; formal but distant manner. Although some girls were attracted by Mark's

air of reserve, Judy was put off by it, for she felt his aloofness indicated a lack of openness.

reserved,ADJ.

residue N. /残留物；余额/remainder; balance. In his will, he requested that after payment of debts, taxes, and

funeral expenses, the residue be given to his wife. residual,ADJ.

resigned ADJ. / 认命，顺从；听天由命 /accepting one's fate; unresisting; patiently submissive. Resigned to his

downtrodden existence, Bob Cratchit was too meek to protest Scrooge's bullying. resignation, N.

resilient ADJ. / 弹性的 /elastic; having the power of springing back. Highly resilient, steel makes excellent

bedsprings. resilience, N.

resolution N. /坚定；决心；决定/determination; resolve. Nothing could shake his resolution that his children would

get the best education that money could buy. resolute,ADJ.

resolve N. /决心；解决/determination; firmness of purpose. How dare you question my resolve to take up sky-

diving! Of course I haven't changed my mind!

resolve V. / 决定；安排 /decide; settle; solve. Holmes resolved to travel to Bohemia to resolve the dispute

between Irene Adler and the king.

resonant ADJ. /共鸣的/echoing; resounding; deep and full in sound. The deep, resonant voice of the actor James

Earl Jones makes him particularly effective when he appears on stage.

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respiration N. / 呼吸；呼吸作用；呼气/breathing; exhalation. The doctor found that the patient's years of smoking

had adversely affected both his lung capacity and his rate of respiration.

respite N. / 暂缓/interval of relief; time for rest; delay in punishment. After working nonstop on this project for

three straight months. I need a respite! For David, the two weeks vacationing in New Zealand were a

delightful respite from the pressures of his job.

resplendent ADJ. /辉煌的；光辉的/dazzling; glorious; brilliant. While all the adults were commenting how glorious the

emperor looked in his resplendent new clothes, one little boy was heard to say, "But he's naked!"

responsiveness N. / 响应的 /state of reacting readily to appeals, orders, etc. The audience cheered and

applauded, delighting the performers by its responsiveness.

restitution N. /归还；补偿/reparation; indemnification. He offered to make restitution for the window broken by his

son.

restive ADJ. /焦躁不安的；难以压抑的/restlessly impatient; obstinately resisting control. Waiting impatiently in line

to see Santa Claus, even the best-behaved children grow restive and start to fidget.

restraint N. / 抑制；控制 /moderation or self-control; controlling force; restriction. Control yourself. young lady!

Show some restraint!

resumption N. / 恢复；重新开始 /taking up again; recommencement. During summer break, Don had not realized

how much he missed university life: at the resumption of classes, however, he felt marked excitement

and pleasure. resume,V.

resurge V. /复活/rise again; flow to and fro. It was startling to see the spirit of nationalism resurge as the Soviet

Union disintegrated into a loose federation of ethnic and national groups. resurgence, N.

retain V. /保持；使用/keep; employ. Fighting to retain his seat in Congress, Senator Foghorn retained a new

manager to head his reelection campaign.

retaliation N. / 报仇 /repayment in kind (usually for bad treatment). Because everyone knew the Princeton Band

had stolen Brown's mascot, the whole Princeton student body expected some sort of retaliation from

Brown. retaliate,V.

retentive ADJ. / 保持的；记性好的 /holding; having a good memory. The pupil did not need to spend much time

studying, for he had a retentive mind and remembered all he read.

reticence N. /不动声色的；深藏不露的；沉默寡言的/reserve; uncommunicativeness; inclination to silence. Fearing his

competitors might get advance word about his plans from talkative staff members, Hughes preferred

reticence from his employees to loquacity. reticent,ADJ.

retinue N. /随行人；扈从员 /following; attendants. The queen's retinue followed her down the aisle.

retiring ADJ. /退休的；虚的，害羞的谦 /modest; shy. Given Susan's retiring personality, no one expected her to

take up public speaking; surprisingly enough, she became a star of the school debate team,

retort N. /反驳；曲颈甑/quick sharp reply. Even when it was advisable for her to keep her mouth shut, she was

always ready with a quick retort. alsoV.

retract V. /撤回，撤退/withdraw; take back. When I saw how Fred and his fraternity brothers had trashed the

frat house, I decided to retract my offer to let them use our summer cottage for the weekend.

retraction, N.

retrench V. /裁，削；，减减紧缩节约/cut down; economize. In order to be able to afford to send their children to

college, they would have to retrench. retrenchment, N.

retribution N. /复仇；补偿；惩罚 /vengeance; compensation; punishment for offenses. The evangelist maintained

that an angry deity would exact retribution from the sinners.

retrieve V. /重新得到；找回/recover; find and bring in. The dog was intelligent and quickly learned to retrieve the

game killed by the hunter.

retroactive ADJ. /反动的；（法律）追溯的（由制定之日前的某一天生效） /of a law that dates back to a period before its

enactment. Because the law was retroactive to the first of the year, we found she was eligible for the

pension.

retrograde V. /倒退的/go backwards; degenerate. instead of advancing, our civilization seems to have retrograded

in ethics and culture. alsoADJ.

retrospective ADJ. /回的顾 /looking back on the past. The Museum of Graphic Arts is holding a retrospective

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showing of the paintings of Michael Whelan over the past two decades.

revelry N. /狂欢/boisterous merrymaking. New Year's Eve is a night of revelry

reverent ADJ. / 尊敬的；可敬的 /respectful; worshipful. Though I bow my head in church and recite the prayers,

sometimes I don't feel properly reverent. revere,V.

reverie N. /冥想；发呆；白日梦/daydream; musing. He was awakened from his reverie by the teacher's question.

revert V. / 回复；故复萌态 /relapse; backslide; turn back to. Most of the time Andy seemed sensitive and

mature, but occasionally he would revert to his smart-alecky, macho, adolescent self.

revile V. /辱，，骂谩骂诽谤 /attack with abusive language; vilify. Though most of his contemporaries reviled

Captain Kidd as a notorious, bloody-handed pirate, some of his fellow merchant-captains believed

him innocent of his alleged crimes.

revoke V. /撤回；取消/cancel; retract. Repeat offenders who continue to drive under the influence of alcohol

face having their driver's licenses permanently revoked.

revulsion N. /剧变（情感的）；抽回；收手 /sudden violent change of feeling; reaction. Many people in this country

who admired dictatorships underwent a revulsion when they realized what Hitler and Mussolini were

trying to do.

rhapsodize V. / 狂热地描述；写狂想文，作狂想曲 /to speak or write in an exaggeratedly enthusiastic manner. She

greatly enjoyed her Hawaiian vacation and rhapsodized about it for weeks.

rhetoric N. / 的学；花言巧说话问语 /art of effective communication; insincere language. All writers, by necessity,

must be skilled in rhetoric.

rhetorical ADJ. /修辞色彩的；花言巧语的 /pertaining to effective communication; insincere in language. To win his

audience; the speaker used every rhetorical trick in the book.

ribald ADJ. /下流的；放的；亵的荡渎 /wanton; profane. He sang a ribald song that offended many of the more

prudish listeners.

riddle V. /刺出无数窟窿，打排孔；充斥，弥漫；通粗眼子；；解决，解释；提出，解过筛过滤谜语谜 /pierce with holes;

permeate or spread throughout. With his machine gun, Tracy riddled the car with bullets till it looked

like a slice of Swiss cheese. During the proofreaders' strike, the newspaper was riddled with typos.

rider N. /附文；扶手/amendment or clause added to a legislative bill. Senator Foghorn said he would support

Senator Filibuster's tax reform bill only if Filibuster agreed to add an antipollution riderto the bill.

rife ADJ. / 普遍的 /abundant; current. In the face of the many rumors of scandal, which are rife at the

moment, it is best to remain silent.

rift N. /裂；破口缝 /opening; break. The plane was lost in the stormy sky until the pilot saw the city through a

rift in the clouds.

rig V. /配；装备备/fix or manipulate. The ward boss was able to rig the election by bribing people to stuff

the ballot boxes with ballots marked in his candidate's favor.

rigid ADJ. /刚硬的；不屈的/stiff and unyielding; strict; hard and unbending. By living with a man to whom she

was not married, George Eliot broke Victorian society's most rigid rule of respectable behavior.

rigor N. /严格，苛刻；精确/severity. Many settlers could not stand the rigors of the New England winters.

rigorous ADJ. / 严峻的；严格的；严厉的 /severe; harsh; demanding; exact. Disliked by his superiors, the officer

candidate in An Officer and a Gentleman endured an extremely rigorous training program.

rile V. /激怒/vex; irritate; muddy. Red had a hair-trigger temper: he was an easy man to rile.

riveting ADJ. /迷人的/absorbing; engrossing. The reviewer described Byatt's novel Possession as a riveting tale,

one so absorbing that he had finished it in a single night.

rivulet N. /小溪/small stream. As the rains continued, the small trickle of water running down the hillside grew

into a rivulet that threatened to wash away a portion of the slope.

robust ADJ. /健壮的/vigorous; strong. After pumping iron and taking karate for six months, the little old lady was

so robust that she could break a plank with her fist.

roil V. /搅动（使水变浑）;激怒/to make liquids murky by stirring up sediment. Be careful when you pour not

to roil the wine; if you stir up the sediment you'll destroy the flavor.

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roster N. /列表/list. They print the roster of players in the season's program.

rostrum N. /演讲台；讲道坛/platform for speech-making; pulpit. The crowd murmured angrily and indicated that

they did not care to listen to the speaker who was approaching the rostrum.

rote N. /生搬硬套；死硬背记 /repetition. He recited the passage by rote and gave no indication he understood

what he was saying.

rotundity N. / 圆形，球状；洪亮的演讲 /roundness; sonorousness of speech. Washington Irving emphasized the

rotundity of the governor by describing his height and circumference.

rousing ADJ. /活的；煽动的跃 /lively; stirring. "And now, let's have a rousing welcome for TV's own Roseanne Barr,

who'll lead us in a rousing rendition of 'The Star-Spangled Banner."'

rout V. /吓跑；赶出；击退/stampede; drive out. The reinforcements were able to rout the enemy. also N.

rubble N. / 碎片 /broken fragments. Ten years after World War II, some of the rubble left by enemy bombings

could still be seen.

ruddy ADJ. / 红的；红润的，白里透红的；健康的 /reddish; healthy-looking. Santa Claus's ruddy cheeks nicely

complement Rudolph the Reindeer's bright red nose.

rudimentary ADJ. / 原始的；最初的；原来的 /not developed; elementary; crude. Although my grandmother's English

vocabulary was limited to a few rudimentary phrases, she always could make herself understood.

rue V. /懊悔；后悔；感伤/regret; lament; mourn. Tina rued the night she met Tony and wondered how she ever

fell for such a jerk. rueful,ADJ.

ruffian N. /流氓；恶棍；痞子/bully; scoundrel. The ruffians threw stones at the police.

ruminate V. /反复咀嚼；消化；深思；反刍/chew over and over (mentally, or, like cows, physically); mull over; ponder.

Unable to digest quickly the baffling events of the day, Reuben ruminated about them till four in the

morning.

rummage V. /到处翻寻/ransack; thoroughly search. When we rummaged through the trunks in the attic, we found

many souvenirs of our childhood days. also N.

ruse N. /技巧；策略，计谋/trick; stratagem. You will not be able to fool your friends with such an obvious ruse.

rustic ADJ. /乡村的；笨拙的，不舒服的/pertaining to country people; uncouth. The backwoodsman looked out of

place in his rustic attire.

ruthless ADJ. /无情的/pitiless; cruel. Captain Hook was a dangerous, ruthless villain who would stop at nothing to

destroy Peter Pan.

saboteur N. /破坏分子；怠工者/one who commits sabotage; destroyer of property. Members of the Resistance acted

as saboteurs, blowing up train lines to prevent supplies from reaching the Nazi army.

saccharine ADJ. /糖精的；代糖的；极甜的/cloyingly sweet. She tried to ingratiate herself, speaking sweetly and smiling

a saccharine smile.

sacrilegiousADJ. /亵渎的，天谴的/desecrating; profane. His stealing of the altar cloth was a very sacrilegious act.

sacrosanct ADJ. /非常神圣的/most sacred; inviolable. The brash insurance salesman invaded the sacrosanct privacy

of the office of the president of the company.

Word List 42 sadistic-sentinel

sadistic ADJ. /虐待狂的；残忍成性的/inclined to cruelty. If we are to improve condi- tions in this prison, we must first

get rid of the sadistic warden.

saga N. /斯堪的亚的；奇纳维传说传 /Scandinavian myth; any legend. This is a saga of the sea and the men who

risk their lives on it.

Sagacious ADJ. /有洞察力的/perceptive; shrewd; having insight. My father was a sagacious judge of character: he

could spot a phony a mile away. sagacity, N.

sage N. /智者；圣人/person celebrated for wisdom. Hearing tales of a mysterious Master of All Knowledge who

lived in the hills of Tibet, Sandy was possessed with a burning desire to consult the legendary sage.

alsoADJ.

salacious ADJ. /好色的；淫荡的 /lascivious; lustful. Chaucer's monk is not pious but salacious. a teller of lewd tales

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and ribald jests.

salient ADJ. /显著的；突出的；卓越的 /prominent. One of the salient features of that newspaper is its excellent

editorial page.

salubrious ADJ. /对健康有益的，利于养生的 /healthful. Many people with hay fever move to more salubrious sections of

the country during the months of August and September.

salutary ADJ. /有用的；有益的/tending to improve; beneficial; wholesome. The punishment had a salutary effect on

the boy, as he became a model student.

salvage V. / 救；救；打；救补抢捞营 /rescue from loss. All attempts to salvage the wrecked ship failed. also N.

salvo N. / 解除武装；敬礼；保留条款 /discharge of firearms; military salute. The boom of the enemy's opening

salvo made the petrified private jump.

sanctimonious ADJ. /假正的；假装神的经圣 /displaying ostentatious or hypocritical devoutness. You do not have to

be so sanctimonious to prove that you are devout.

sanction V. /批准，许可/approve; ratify. Nothing will convince me to sanction the engagement of my daughter to

such a worthless young man.

sanctuary N. /避难所/refuge; shelter; shrine; holy place. The tiny attic was Helen's sanctuary to which she fled when

she had to get away from the rest of her family.

sanguine ADJ. / 高兴的；有希望的；天的乐 /cheerful; hopeful. Let us not be too sanguine about the outcome;

something could go wrong.

sap V. /减少；破坏/diminish; undermine. The element kryptonite has an unhealthy effect on Superman: it saps

his strength.

sarcasm N. / 挖苦；讽刺 /scornful remarks; stinging rebuke. Though Ralph pretended to ignore the mocking

comments of his supposed friends, their sarcasm wounded him deeply.

sardonic ADJ. / 刺的 /disdainful; sarcastic; cynical. The sardonic humor of nightclub comedians who satirize or

ridicule patrons in the audience strikes some people as amusing and others as rude.

sartorial ADJ. /裁的；机的；匠肌的缝缝纫缝 /pertaining to tailors. He was as famous for the sartorial splendor of his

attire as he was for his acting.

sate V. /使心满意足；使过度满足；使腻/satisfy to the full; cloy. Its hunger sated. the lion dozed.

satellite N. /卫星/small body revolving around a larger one. During the first few years of the Space Age, hundreds

of satellites were launched by Russia and the United States.

satiate V. /完全足满 /satisfy fully. Having stuffed themselves until they were satiated, the guests were so full

they were ready for a nap.

satire N. / 刺的/form of literature in which irony, sarcasm, and ridicule are employed to attack vice and folly.

Gulliver's Travels, which is regarded by many as a tale for children, is actually a bitter satire attacking

man's folly.

satirical ADJ. /嘲弄的/mocking. The humor of cartoonist Gary Trudeau often is satirical; through the comments of

the Doonesbury characters, Trudeau ridicules political corruption and folly.

saturate V. /湿透/soak thoroughly. Saturate your sponge with water until it can't hold any more.

saturnine ADJ. /阴郁的/gloomy. Do not be misled by his saturnine countenance; he is not as gloomy as he looks.

saunter V. / 漫步；闲逛 /stroll slowly. As we sauntered through the park, we stopped frequently to admire the

spring flowers.

savant N. /专家，学者/scholar. Our faculty includes many worldfamous savants.

savor V. /有滋有味儿的；享受这种滋味/enjoy; have a distinctive flavor, smell, or quality. Relishing his triumph, the

actor especially savored the chagrin of the critics who had predicted his failure.

savory ADJ. /有味道的；吸引人的 /tasty; pleasing, attractive, or agreeable. Julia Child's recipes enable amateur

chefs to create savory delicacies for their guests.

scabbard N. / 剑鞘 /case for a sword blade; sheath. The drill master told the recruit to wipe the blood from his

sword before slipping it back into the scabbard.

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scad N. /大批的，许多/a great quantity. Refusing Dave's offer to lend him a shirt, Phil replied, "No, thanks, I've

got scads of clothes."

scaffold N. /脚手架；刑架绞 /temporary platform for workers; bracing framework; platform for execution. Before

painting the house, the workers put up a scaffold to allow them to work on the second story.

scale V. /爬升；升高/climb up; ascend. In order to locate a book on the top shelf of the stacks, Lee had to

scale an exceptionally rickety ladder.

scamp N. /流氓，无赖/rascal. Despite his mischievous behavior, Malcolm was such an engaging scamp that

his mother almost lacked the heart to punish him.

scanty ADJ. /缺乏的；稀疏的/meager; insufficient. Thinking his helping of food was scanty, Oliver Twist asked for

more.

scapegoat N. /替罪羊/someone who bears the blame for others. After the Challenger disaster, NASA searched for

scapegoats on whom they could cast the blame.

scavenge V. / 腐食；打扫 /hunt through discarded materials for usable items; search, especially for food. If you

need car parts that the dealers no longer stock, try scavenging for odd bits and pieces at the auto

wreckers' yards. scavenger, N.

scenario N. /情节；剧本大纲；（电影、歌剧）剧本/plot outline; screenplay; opera libretto. Scaramouche startled the

other actors in the commedia troupe when he suddenly departed from their customary scenario and

began to improvise.

schematic ADJ. /示例的；示意性的/relating to an outline or diagram; using a system of symbols. In working out the

solution to this logic puzzle, you may find it helpful to construct a simple schematic diagram outlining

the order of events.

schism N. /分离/division; split. Let us not widen the schism by further bickering.

scintillate V. /迸出火花；发出闪烁/sparkle; flash. I enjoy her dinner parties because the food is excellent and the

conversation scintillates.

scoff V. /嘲弄，奚落/mock; ridicule. He scoffed at dentists until he had his first toothache.

scourge N. / 鞭笞；蹂躏 /lash; whip; severe punishment. They feared the plague and regarded it as a deadly

scourge. alsoV.

scruple V. /踌躇；忧郁/fret about; hesitate, for ethical reasons. Fearing that her husband had become involved

in an affair, she did not scruple to read his diary. also N.

scrupulous ADJ. /小心翼翼的；谨慎的/conscientious; extremely thorough. Though Alfred is scrupulous in fulfilling his

duties at work, he is less conscientious about his obligations to his family and friends.

scrutinize V. /明察/examine closely and critically. Searching for flaws, the sergeant scrutinized every detail of the

private's uniform.

scuffle V. /徘徊（思考）；混战问题 /struggle confusedly; move off in a confused hurry. The twins briefly scuffled,

wrestling to see which of them would get the toy. When their big brother yelled, "Let go of my

Gameboy!" they scuffled off down the hall. scurrilous ADJ. obscene; indecent. Your scurrilous

remarks are especially offensive because they are untrue.

scurry V. /轻快的；活泼的移动/move briskly. The White Rabbit had to scurry to get to his appointment on time.

scurvy ADJ. /下流的；卑鄙的，无理的；坏血病 /despicable; contemptible. Peter Pan sneered at Captain Hook and

his scurvy crew.

scuttle V. /迈着碎步轻快的走/scurry; run with short, rapid steps. The bug scuttled rapidly across the floor.

scuttle V. /沉没/sink. The sailors decided to scuttle their vessel rather than surrender it to the enemy.

seamy ADJ. / 丑恶的；露出嘴的脸 /sordid; unwholesome. In The Godfather, Michael Corleone is unwilling to

expose his wife and children to the seamy side of his life as the son of a Mafia don. sear V. char

or burn; brand. Accidentally brushing against the hot grill, she seared her hand badly.

seasoned ADJ. /老练的/experienced. Though pleased with her new batch of rookies, the basketball coach wished

she had a few more seasoned players on the team.

secession N. / 撤退；脱离 /withdrawal. The secession of the Southern states provided Lincoln with his first major

problem after his inauguration. secede,V.

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seclusion N. /隔离/isolation; solitude. One moment she loved crowds; the next, she sought seclusion. seclude,V.

secrete V. / 隐匿；藏匿；分泌 /hide away; produce and release a substance into an organism. The pack rat

secretes odds and ends in its nest; the pancreas secretes insulin in the islets of Langerhans. sect

N. separate religious body; faction. As university chaplain, she sought to address universal

religious issues and not limit herself to concerns of any one sect.

sectarian ADJ. / 宗派主义的；地区主义的；宗派主义者；狭窄的 /relating to a religious faction or subgroup; narrow-

minded; limited. Far from being broad-minded, the religious leader was intolerant of new ideas,

paying attention only to purely sectarian interests. sect. N.

secular ADJ. / 世俗的；现世的；永久的 /worldly; not pertaining to church matters; temporal. The church leaders

decided not to interfere in secular matters.

sedate ADJ. /安静的；重的；低沉的稳 /composed; grave. The parents were worried because they felt their son

was too quiet and sedate.

sedentary ADJ. / 久坐的；坐惯的 /requiring sitting. Disliking the effect of her sedentary occupation on her figure,

Stacy decided to work out at the gym every other day.

sedition N. /抵抗当局；反抗；暴动 /resistance to authority; insubordination. His words, though not treasonous in

themselves, were calculated to arouse thoughts of sedition.

sedulous ADJ. /勤奋的；勤勤恳恳的/diligent; hardworking. After weeks of patient and sedulous labor, we completed

our detailed analysis of every published SAT examination.

seedy ADJ. /破烂不堪的；褴褛的；不合适的 /run-down; decrepit; disreputable. I would rather stay in dormitory

lodgings in a decent youth hostel than have a room of my own in a seedy downtown hotel.

seemly ADJ. /适宜的，合适的/proper; appropriate. Lady Bracknell did not think it was seemly for Ernest to lack a

proper family: no baby abandoned on a doorstep could grow up to be a fit match for her daughter.

seep V. /渗出；渗漏/ooze; trickle. During the rainstorm, water seeped through the crack in the basement wall

and damaged the floor boards. seepage, N.

seethe V. /扰乱的；沸腾/be disturbed; boil. The nation was seething with discontent as the noblemen continued

their arrogant ways.

seismic ADJ. /地震的/pertaining to earthquakes. The Richter scale is a measurement of seismic disturbances.

seminary N. /神学院；学院；祥地发 /school for training future ministers; academy for young women. Sure of his

priestly vocation, Terrence planned to pursue his theological training at the local Roman Catholic

seminary.

sensual ADJ. / 感官的；肉欲的；感官论的 /devoted to the pleasures of the senses; carnal; voluptuous. I cannot

understand what caused him to abandon his sensual way of life and become so ascetic.

sententious ADJ. /简洁的；警句式的，格言式的/terse; concise; aphoristic. After reading so many redundant speeches, I

find his sententious style particularly pleasing.

sentinel N. / 哨兵 /sentry; lookout. Though camped in enemy territory, Bledsoe ignored the elementary

precaution of posting sentinels around the encampment.

Word List 43 sequester-solvent

sequester V. /隐退；隔离/isolate; retire from public life; segregate; seclude. Banished from his kingdom, the wizard

Prospero sequestered himself on a desert island. To prevent the jurors from hearing news broadcasts

about the case, the judge decided to sequester the jury.

serendipity N. /有发现意外之财的运气/gift for finding valuable or desirable things by accident; accidental good fortune

or luck. Many scientific discoveries are a matter of serendipity. Newton was not sitting under a tree

thinking about gravity when the apple dropped on his head.

serenity N. / 平静 /calmness; placidity. The sound of air raid sirens pierced the serenity of the quiet village of

Pearl Harbor. serpentine ADJ. winding; twisting. The car swerved at every curve in the serpentine

road.

serrated ADJ. /锯齿状的 /having a sawtoothed edge. The beech tree is one of many plants that have serrated

leaves.

servile ADJ. /奴隶的；奴性的 /slavish; cringing. Constantly fawning on his employer, humble Uriah Heap was a

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servile creature.

servitude N. / 奴隶身份；苦工 /slavery; compulsory labor. Born a slave, Frederick Douglass resented his life of

servitude and plotted to escape to the North.

sever V. /切断/cut; separate. The released prisoner wanted to begin a new life and sever all connections with

his criminal past. Dr. Guillotin invented a machine that could neatly sever an aristocratic head from its

equally aristocratic body. Unfortunately, he couldn't collect any severance pay. severance, N.

severity N. /严肃；严格；激烈 /harshness; intensity; sternness; austerity. The severity of Jane's migraine attack

was so great that she took to her bed for a week.

shackle V. /手铐；枷锁；脚镣/chain; fetter. The criminal's ankles were shackled to prevent his escape. also N.

sham V. /佯装；假的；品赝 /pretend. He shammed sickness to get out of going to school. also N.

shambles N. / 混乱的地方；肉铺 /wreck; mess. After the hurricane, the Carolina coast was a shambles. After the

New Year's Eve party, the apartment was a shambles.

shard N. /碎片（陶瓷的）/fragment, generally of pottery. The archaeologist assigned several students the task

of reassembling earthenware vessels from the shards he had brought back from the expedition.

sheaf N. /捆；扎（秸秆）/bundle of stalks of grain; any bundle of things tied together. The lawyer picked up a

sheaf of papers as he rose to question the witness.

shear V. /剪；修剪/cut or clip (hair, fleece); strip of something. You may not care to cut a sheep's hair, but

Sarah shears sheep for Little Bo Peep.

sheathe V. /插入鞘/place into a case. As soon as he recognized the approaching men, he sheathed his dagger

and hailed them as friends.

sheer ADJ. / 纯粹的 , ，对的；透明的；峻峭的；避开，避；偏航，避开绝躲 /very thin or transparent; very steep;

absolute. Wearing nothing but an almost sheer robe, Delilah draped herself against the sheer temple

wall. Beholding her, Samson was overcome by her sheer beauty. Then she sheared his hair.

shimmer V. /微光/glimmer intermittently. The moonlight shimmered on the water as the moon broke through the

clouds for a moment. also N.

shirk V. /逃避，推卸；避免 /avoid (responsibility, work, etc.); malinger. Brian has a strong sense of duty; he

would never shirk any responsibility.

shoddy ADJ. / 以次充好的；赝品/sham; not genuine; inferior. You will never get the public to buy such shoddy

material.

shrewd ADJ. /精明；敏锐 /clever; astute. A shrewd investor, he took clever advantage of the fluctuations of the

stock market.

shroud V. /裹尸；隐藏/hide from view; wrap for burial. Fog shrouded Dracula's castle, hiding the ruined tower

beneath sheets of mist.

shun V. /避免/keep away from. Cherishing his solitude, the recluse shunned the company of other human

beings.

shyster N. /讼棍；政界的奸诈之徒 /lawyer using questionable methods. On L.A. Law, Brackman is horrified to

learn that his newly-discovered half brother is nothing but a cheap shyster.

sibling N. /兄弟姐妹/brother or sister. We may not enjoy being siblings, but we cannot forget that we still belong

to the same family.

simian ADJ. / 像猴的 /monkeylike. Lemurs are nocturnal mammals and have many simian characteristics,

although they are less intelligent than monkeys.

simile N. /明喻；比较 /comparison of one thing with another, using the word like or as. "My love is like a red,

red rose" is a simile.

simper V. / 痴笑；傻笑 /smirk; smile affectedly. Complimented on her appearance, Stella self-consciously

simpered.

Simplistic ADJ. / 过分单纯化的 /oversimplified. Though Jack's solution dealt adequately with one aspect of the

problem, it was simplistic in failing to consider various complications that might arise.

simulate V. /模仿；冒充/feign. He simulated insanity in order to avoid punishment for his crime.

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sinecure N. / ，茶水的工作闲职报纸 /well-paid position with little responsibility. My job is no sinecure; I work long

hours and have much responsibility.

sinewy ADJ. /结实；硬朗的/tough; strong and firm. The steak was too sinewy to chew.

singular ADJ. /奇的；独一无二的 /unique; extraordinary; odd. Though the young man tried to understand Father

William's singular behavior, he still found it odd that the old man incessantly stood on his head.

singularity, N.

sinister ADJ. /邪恶的/evil. We must defeat the sinister forces that seek our downfall.

sinuous ADJ. /蜿蜒的；弯曲复杂的；不老实的/winding; bending in and out; not morally honest. The snake moved in

a sinuous manner.

skeptic N. /怀疑论者/doubter; person who suspends judgment until the evidence supporting a point of view has

been examined. I am a skeptic about the new health plan; I want some proof that it can work.

skepticism, N.

skiff N. / 小船 /small, light sailboat or rowboat. Tom dreamed of owning an ocean-going yacht but had to

settle for a skiff he could sail in the bay.

skimp V. / 节约的使用 /provide scantily; live very economically. They were forced to skimp on necessities in

order to make their limited supplies last the winter.

skinflint N. /守财奴；吝啬鬼/stingy person; miser. Scrooge was an ungenerous old skinflint until he reformed his

ways and became a notable philanthropist.

skirmish N. /小规模战争；小打小闹/minor fight. Custer's troops expected they might run into a skirmish or two on

maneuvers; they did not expect to face a major battle. alsoV.

skulk V. /偷懒；偷偷的移动/move furtively and secretly. He skulked through the less fashionable sections of

the city in order to avoid meeting any of his former friends.

slacken V. /放松；放慢/slow up; loosen. As they passed the finish line, the runners slackened their pace.

slag N. /矿渣；炉渣；渣滓/residue from smelting metal; dross; waste matter. The blast furnace had a special

opening at the bottom to allow the workers to remove the worthless slag.

slake V. /结束；平息；消除；伺候舒服 /quench; sate. When we reached the oasis, we were able to slake our

thirst.

slander N. /诽谤/defamation; utterance of false and malicious statements. Considering the negative comments

politicians make about each other, it's a wonder that more of them aren't sued for slander. alsoV.

slapdash ADJ. /匆促的/haphazard; careless; sloppy. From the number of typos and misspellings I've found in it,

it's clear that Mario proofread the report in a remarkably slapdash fashion.

sleeper N. /睡眠；卧；枕木；冬眠的动物铺 /something originally of little value or importance that in time becomes

very valuable. Unnoticed by the critics at its publication, the eventual Pulitzer Prize winner was a

classic sleeper.

sleight N. /灵巧的/dexterity. The magician amazed the audience with his sleight of hand.

slight N. / 怠慢；斥责；侮辱 /insult to one's dignity; snub. Hypersensitive and ready to take offense at any

discourtesy, Bertha was always on the lookout for real or imaginary slights. alsoV.

slipshod ADJ. /邋遢的；慢吞吞的；漫不经心的/untidy or slovenly; shabby. As a master craftsman, the carpenter

prided himself on not doing slipshod work.

slither V. /滑动/slip or slide. During the recent ice storm, many people slithered down this hill as they walked

to the station.

slothful ADJ. / 懒的 /lazy. Lying idly on the sofa while others worked, Reggie denied he was slothful: "I just

supervise better lying down."

slough V. /脱落；蜕皮/cast off. Each spring, the snake sloughs off its skin.

slovenly ADJ. /邋遢的；漫不经心的/untidy; careless in work habits. Unshaven, sitting around in his bathrobe all

afternoon, Gus didn't seem to care about the slovenly appearance he presented. The dark ring

around the bathtub and the spider webs hanging from the beams proved what a slovenly

housekeeper she was.

sluggard N. / 懒人/lazy person. "You are a sluggard, a drone, a parasite," the angry father shouted at his lazy

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son.

sluggish ADJ. /行动迟缓的/Slow; lazy; lethargic. After two nights without sleep, she felt sluggish and incapable of

exertion.

slur V. / 模糊不清的说 /speak indistinctly; mumble. When Sol has too much to drink, he starts to slur his

words: "Washamatter? Cansh you undershtand what I shay?"

slur N. / 诽谤；侮辱 /insult to one's character or reputation; slander. Polls revealed that the front-runner's

standing had been badly damaged by the slurs and innuendoes circulated by his opponent's staff.

also V. (secondary meaning)

smelt V. /冶炼；精炼/melt or blend ores, changing their chemical composition. The furnaceman smelts tin with

copper to create a special alloy used in making bells.

smirk N. / 笑/conceited smile. Wipe that smirk off your face! alsoV.

smolder V. /闷烧；随时准备爆发/burn without flame; be liable to break out at any moment. The rags smoldered for

hours before they burst into flame.

snicker N. / 窃笑 /half-stifled laugh. The boy could not suppress a snicker when the teacher sat on the tack.

alsoV.

snivel V. / 流鼻涕；啜泣；鼻子一把泪一把 /run at the nose; snuffle; whine. Don't you come sniveling to me

complaining about your big brother. sobriety N. moderation (especially regarding indulgence in

alcohol); seriousness. Neither falling-down drunks nor stand-up comics are noted for sobriety.

sober,ADJ.

sodden ADJ. /湿透的/soaked; dull, as if from drink. He set his sodden overcoat near the radiator to dry.

sojourn N. / 逗留 /temporary stay. After his sojourn in Florida, he began to long for the colder climate of his

native New England home.

solace N. /安慰/comfort in trouble. I hope you will find solace in the thought that all of us share your loss.

solder V. / 焊接 /repair or make whole by using a metal alloy. The plumber fixed the leak in the pipes by

soldering a couple of joints from which water had been oozing.

solecism N. /语法错误；谬误/construction that is flagrantly incorrect grammatically. I must give this paper a failing

mark because it contains many solecisms.

solemnity N. /严肃的；一本正经的/seriousness; gravity. The minister was concerned that nothing should disturb the

solemnity of the marriage service. solemn,ADJ.

solicit V. /恳求/request earnestly; seek. Knowing she needed to have a solid majority for the budget to pass,

the mayor telephoned all the members of the city council to solicit their votes.

solicitous ADJ. /担心的；关切的；期望的 /worried; concerned. The employer was very solicitous about the health of

her employees as replacements were difficult to get.

soliloquy N. / 自言自语；独白 /talking to oneself. The soliloquy is a device used by the dramatist to reveal a

character's innermost thoughts and emotions.

solitude N. / 独身 /state of being alone; seclusion. Much depends on how much you like your own company.

What to one person seems fearful isolation to another is blessed solitude.

soluble ADJ. /可溶解的；可解决的 /able to be dissolved; able to be explained. Sugar is soluble in water; put a

sugar cube in water and it will quickly dissolve.

solvent ADJ. / 有偿付能力的 /able to pay all debts. By dint of very frugal living, he was finally able to become

solvent and avoid bankruptcy proceedings.

Word List 44 somber-sublime

somber ADJ. /阴森的；昏暗的；抑郁的/gloomy; depressing; dark; drab. From the doctor's grim expression, I could

tell he had somber news. Dull brown and charcoal gray are pretty somber colors; can't you wear

something bright?

somnambulist N. /梦游症患者/sleepwalker. The most famous somnambulist in literature is Lady Macbeth; her

monologue in the sleepwalking scene is one of the highlights of Shakespeare's play.

somnolent ADJ. /催眠的；半睡半醒的/half asleep. The heavy meal and the overheated room made us all somnolent

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and indifferent to the speaker.

sonorous ADJ. /醒目的/resonant. His sonorous voice resounded through the hall.

sophisticated ADJ. /世故的；复杂的/worldly-wise and urbane; complex. When Sophie makes wisecracks, she

thinks she sounds sophisticated, but instead she sounds sophomoric. The new IBM laptop with the

butterfly keyboard and the built-in quadspeed FAX modem is a pretty sophisticated machine.

sophistry N. /似真实假的/seemingly plausible but fallacious reasoning. Instead of advancing valid arguments, he

tried to overwhelm his audience with a flood of sophistries.

sophomoric ADJ. /一知半解的；不成熟的/immature; half-baked, like a sophomore. Even if you're only a freshman, it's

no compliment to be told your humor is sophomoric. The humor in Dumb and Dumber is

sophomoric at best.

soporific ADJ. /催眠的 /sleep-causing; marked by sleepiness. Professor Pringle's lectures were so soporific that

even he fell asleep in class. also N.

sordid ADJ. /肮脏；卑鄙/filthy; base; vile. The social worker was angered by the sordid housing provided for the

homeless.

sovereign ADJ. / 君主的；至高无上的 /efficacious; supreme or paramount; selfgoverning. Professor Pennywhistle

claimed his panacea was a sovereign cure for all chronic complaints. In medicine the sovereign task

of the doctor is to do no harm. Rebelling against the mother country, the onetime colony now

proclaimed itself a sovereign state. also N.

spangle N. /衣服上亮晶晶的小金属饰件/small metallic piece sewn to clothing for ornamentation. The thousands of

spangles on her dress sparkled in the glare of the stage lights.

sparse ADJ. /稀少的；稀疏的/not thick; thinly scattered; scanty. No matter how carefully Albert combed his hair to

make it look as full as possible, it still looked sparse.

spartan ADJ. /刚毅的；朴素的；纪律严格的；斯巴达的/avoiding luxury and comfort; sternly disciplined. Looking over

the bare, unheated room, with its hard cot, he wondered what he was doing in such spartan quarters.

Only his spartan sense of duty kept him at his post.

spasmodic ADJ. / 断断的；歇的续续间 /fitful; periodic. The spasmodic coughing in the auditorium annoyed the

performers.

spat N. /争论；口角；扇巴掌/squabble; minor dispute. What had started out as a mere spat escalated into a

full-blown argument.

spate N. /爆发；大洪水；一大群的/sudden flood or strong outburst; a large number or amount. After the spate of

angry words that came pouring out of him, Mary was sure they would never be reconciled.

spatial ADJ. /空的间 /relating to space. NASA is engaged in an ongoing program of spatial exploration. When

Jay says he's studying spatial relations, that doesn't mean he has relatives in outer space.

spatula N. /压舌板；抹刀；批灰刀/broad-bladed instrument used for spreading or mixing. The manufacturers of

this frying pan recommend the use of a rubber spatula to avoid scratching the specially treated

surface.

spawn V. / 孵化；下蛋 /lay eggs. Fish ladders had to be built in the dams to assist the salmon returning to

spawn in their native streams. also N.

specious ADJ. / 似是而非的 /seemingly reasonable but incorrect; misleading (often intentionally). To claim that,

because houses and birds both have wings, both can fly, is extremely specious reasoning.

spectrum N. /光谱/colored band produced when beam of light passes through a prism. The visible portion of the

spectrum includes red at one end and violet at the other.

spendthrift N. / 挥霍的人 /someone who wastes money. Easy access to credit encourages people to turn into

spendthrifts who shop till they drop.

sphinx-like ADJ. /谜的/enigmatic; mysterious. The Mon

Lisa's sphinx-like expression has intrigued and mystified

art lovers for centuries.

splice V. /绑定的；联合的/fasten together; unite. Before you splice two strips of tape together, be sure to line

them up evenly. also N.

spontaneity N. /自发的；自然的；无预谋的/lack of premeditation; naturalness; freedom from constraint. When Anne

and Amy met, Amy impulsively hugged her new colleague, but Anne drew back, unprepared for such

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spontaneity. The cast over-rehearsed the play so much that the eventual performance lacked any

spontaneity. spontaneous,ADJ.

sporadic ADJ. /零星的/occurring irregularly. Although you can still hear sporadic outbursts of laughter and singing

outside, the big Halloween parade has passed; the party's over till next year.

sportive ADJ. /嬉戏的；玩闹的/playful. Such a sportive attitude is surprising in a person as serious as you usually

are.

spry ADJ. /充生气的；活的；敏捷的满泼 /vigorously active; nimble. She was eighty years old, yet still spry and

alert.

spurious ADJ. / 伪造的，欺骗的 /false; counterfeit; forged; illogical. The antique dealer hero of Jonathan Gash's

mystery novels gives the reader tips on how to tell spurious antiques from the real thing. Natasha's

claim to be the lost heir of the Romanoffs was spurious: the only thing Russian about her was the

vodka she drank!

spurn V. /放弃；拒绝/reject; scorn. The heroine spurned the villain's advances.

squabble N. / 争吵 /minor quarrel; bickering. Children invariably get involved in petty squabbles; wise parents

know when to interfere and when to let the children work things out on their own.

squalor N. /肮脏；悲惨；贫穷/filth; degradation; dirty, neglected state. Rusted, broken-down cars in its yard, trash

piled up on the porch, tar paper peeling from the roof, the shack was the picture of squalor.

squalid,ADJ.

squander V. /浪费/waste. If you squander your allowance on candy and comic books, you won't have any money

left to buy the new box of crayons you want.

squat ADJ. /矮壮的；又短又厚的；蹲着的/stocky; short and thick. Tolkien's hobbits are somewhat squat, sturdy

little creatures, fond of good ale, good music, and good mushrooms.

staccato ADJ. / 断奏；断唱 /played in an abrupt manner; marked by abrupt sharp sound. His staccato speech

reminded one of the sound of a machine gun.

stagnant ADJ. /静止的；单的调 /motionless; stale; dull. Mosquitoes commonly breed in ponds of stagnant water.

Mike's career was stagnant; it wasn't going anywhere, and neither was he! stagnate,V.

staid ADJ. /沉静的；安静的/sober; sedate. Her conduct during the funeral ceremony was staid and solemn.

stalemate N. / 僵局 /deadlock. Negotiations between the union and the employers have reached a stalemate;

neither side is willing to budge from previously stated positions.

stalwart ADJ. /坚定的；强壮的/strong, brawny; steadfast. His consistent support of the party has proved that he is

a stalwart and loyal member. also N.

stamina N. /毅力；意志力/strength; staying power. I doubt that she has the stamina to run the full distance of the

marathon race.

stanch V. /止血；血流变检测/check flow of blood. It is imperative that we stanch the gushing wound before we

attend to the other injuries.

stanza N. /节；段落（诗的）；盘（棋的）/division of a poem. Do you know the last stanza of "The Star-Spangled

Banner"?

static ADJ. /静的/unchanging; lacking development. Why watch chess on TV? I like watching a game with

action, not something static where nothing seems to be going on.

statute N. /法令；条例/law enacted by the legislature. The statute of limitations sets the limits on how long you

have to take legal action in specific cases.

steadfast ADJ. / 坚定的；不渝的；忠诚的 /loyal; unswerving. Penelope was steadfast in her affections, faithfully

waiting for Ulysses to return from his wanderings.

stealth N. /隐秘；隐藏；隐蔽行动/slyness; sneakiness; secretiveness. Fearing detection by the sentries on duty,

the scout inched his way toward the enemy camp with great stealth.

steep V. / 浸泡，弄湿；陡坡；悬崖 /soak; saturate. Be sure to steep the fabric in the dyebath for the full time

prescribed.

stellar ADJ. /星体的；恒星的/pertaining to the stars. He was the stellar attraction of the entire performance.

stem V. /制止流出 /check the flow. The paramedic used a tourniquet to stem the bleeding from the slashed

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artery.

stem from V. /起因于/arise from. Milton's problems in school stemmed from his poor study habits.

stereotype N. / 老套；一成不变；铅版 /fixed and unvarying representation; standardized mental picture, often

reflecting prejudice. Critics object to the character of Jim in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

because he seems to reflect the stereotype of the happy, ignorant slave.

stifle V. /使窒息；扑灭/suppress; extinguish; inhibit. Halfway through the boring lecture, Laura gave up trying

to stifle her yawns.

stigma N. /耻辱；耻辱的标记；柱头；气门 /token of disgrace; brand. I do not attach any stigma to the fact that

you were accused of this crime; the fact that you were acquitted clears you completely.

stigmatize V. / 打烙印；污蔑 /brand; mark as wicked. I do not want to stigmatize this young offender for life by

sending her to prison.

stilted ADJ. / 夸大的；充气的；虚胖的；踩高跷的 /bombastic; inflated. His stilted rhetoric did not impress the

college audience; they were immune to bombastic utterances.

stint N. /供应；分配；限量分配/supply; allotted amount; assigned portion of work. He performed his daily stint

cheerfully and willingly. alsoV.

stint V. /紧缩，节省/be thrifty; set limits. "Spare no expense," the bride's father said, refusing to stint on the

wedding arrangements.

stipend N. /薪金；津贴/pay for services. There is a nominal stipend for this position.

stipulate V. /规定；明细化/make express conditions; specify. Before agreeing to reduce American military forces

in Europe, the president stipulated that NATO inspection teams be allowed to inspect Soviet bases.

stodgy ADJ. / 乏味的；保守的 /stuffy; boringly conservative. For a young person, Winston seems remarkably

stodgy: you'd expect someone his age to show a little more life.

Stoic ADJ. impassive; unmoved by joy or grief. I wasn't particularly stoic when I had my flu shot; I squealed

like a stuck pig. also N.

stoke V. /填饱；司炉/stir up a fire; feed plentifully. As a Scout Marisa learned how to light a fire, how to stoke

it if it started to die down, and how to extinguish it completely.

stolid ADJ. /乏味的；单的；冷漠的调 /dull; impassive. The earthquake shattered Stuart's usual stolid demeanor;

trembling, he crouched on the no longer stable ground.

stratagem N. /计谋；战略/deceptive scheme. We saw through his clever stratagem.

stratify V. /分别；分；分层门类类 /divide into classes; be arranged into strata. As the economic gap between the

rich and the poor increased, Roman society grew increasingly stratified.

stratum N. /地层；社会阶层/layer of earth's surface; layer of society. Unless we alleviate conditions in the lowest

stratum of our society, we may expect grumbling and revolt.

strew V. /散开；随意散开；散播/spread randomly; sprinkle; scatter. Preceding the bride to the altar, the flower

girl will strew rose petals along the aisle.

striated ADJ. /有细条纹的/marked with parallel bands; grooved. The glacier left many striated rocks. striate,V.

stricture N. /责难；非难；限制 /restriction; adverse criticism. Huck regularly disobeyed Miss Watson's rules and

strictures upon his behavior: he wouldn't wear shoes, no matter what she said.

strident ADJ. /刺耳的；尖的；持不懈的锐坚 /loud and harsh; insistent. Whenever Sue became angry, she tried not

to raise her voice; she had no desire to appear strident.

stringent ADJ. /严厉的；迫切的/binding; rigid. I think these regulations are too stringent.

strut N. / 大摇大摆；高视阔步 /pompous walk; swagger. Looking at his selfimportant strut as he swaggered

about the parade ground, I could tell Colonel Blimp thought highly of himself. alsoV.

strut N. / 支柱 /supporting bar. The engineer calculated that the strut supporting the rafter needed to be

reinforced. (secondary meaning)

studied ADJ. /有计划的；故意的；有想法的 /not spontaneous; deliberate; thoughtful. Given Jill's previous slights,

Jack felt that the omission of his name from the guest list was a studied insult.

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stultify V. / 使徒劳；使显得愚笨；拆台，办难堪 /cause to appear or become stupid or inconsistent; frustrate or

hinder. His long hours in the blacking factory left young Dickens numb and incurious, as if the menial

labor had stultified his brain.

stupefy V. / 使麻木；使大吃一惊 /make numb; stun; amaze. Disapproving of drugs in general, Laura refused to

take sleeping pills or any other medicine that might stupefy her. stupefaction, N.

stupor N. /冷漠；漠不关心/state of apathy; daze; lack of awareness. In his stupor, the addict was unaware of

the events taking place around him.

stymie V. /从中作梗；桩子；障碍物/present an obstacle; stump. The detective was stymied by the contradictory

evidence in the robbery investigation. also N.

suavity N. /柔和；愉快；温和/banity; polish. The elegant actor is particularly good in roles that require suavity

and sophistication.

subdued ADJ. / 屈服的；柔和的；弱的减 /less intense; quieter. Bob liked the subdued lighting at the restaurant

because he thought it was romantic. I just thought it was dimly lit.

subjective ADJ. / 主的；个人的观 /occurring or taking place within the subject; unreal. Your analysis is highly

subjective; you have permitted your emotions and your opinions to color your thinking.

subjugate V. /征服/conquer; bring under control. It is not our aim to subjugate our foe; we are interested only in

establishing peaceful relations.

sublime ADJ. /庄严的；崇高的；壮观的 /exalted or noble and uplifting; utter. Lucy was in awe of Desi's sublime

musicianship, while he was in awe of her sublime naiveté.

Word List 45 subliminal-tantamount

subliminal ADJ. /低于限的；下意的极识 /below the threshold. We may not be aware of the subliminal influences that

affect our thinking.

submissive ADJ. /屈服的；胆怯的/yielding; timid. When he refused to permit Elizabeth to marry her poet, Mr. Barrett

expected her to be properly submissive; instead, she eloped!

subordinate ADJ. / 低的；下的；次要的级级 /occupying a lower rank; inferior; submissive. Bishop Proudie's wife

expected all the subordinate clergy to behave with great deference to the wife of their superior.

suborn V. / 教唆 /persuade to act unlawfully (especially to commit perjury). In The Godfather, the mobsters

used bribery and threats to suborn the witnesses against Don Michael Corleone.

subpoena N. /传票/writ summoning a witness to appear. The prosecutor's office was ready to serve a subpoena

on the reluctant witness. alsoV.

subsequent ADJ. /后来的；接下来的/following; later. In subsequent lessons, we shall take up more difficult problems.

subservient ADJ. / 奴隶似的；奴性的 /behaving like a slave; servile; obsequious. He was proud and dignified; he

refused to be subservient to anyone.

subside V. / 下沉；平息；退减 /settle down; descend; grow quiet. The doctor assured us that the fever would

eventually subside.

subsidiary ADJ. /次要的；辅助的/subordinate; secondary. This information may be used as subsidiary evidence but

is not sufficient by itself to prove your argument. also N.

subsidy N. / 政府的助补 /direct financial aid by government, etc. Without this subsidy, American ship operators

would not be able to compete in world markets.

subsistence N. / 存在；生存 /existence; means of support; livelihood. In these days of inflated prices, my salary

provides a mere subsistence.

substantial ADJ. /坚实的；充实的 /ample; solid; in essentials. The generous scholarship represented a substantial

sum of money.

substantiateV. / 实；证验证 /establish by evidence; verify; support. These endorsements from satisfied customers

substantiate our claim that Barron's How to Prepare for the SAT I is the best SAT-prep book on the

market.

substantive ADJ. / 真实的；有实质的；大量的 /essential; pertaining to the substance. Although the delegates were

aware of the importance of the problem, they could not agree on the substantive issues.

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subterfuge N. / 借口；托辞 /pretense; evasion. As soon as we realized that you had won our support by a

subterfuge, we withdrew our endorsement of your candidacy.

subtlety N. /精明；稀薄；微妙 /perceptiveness; ingenuity; delicacy. Never obvious, she expressed herself with

such subtlety that her remarks went right over the heads of most of her audience. subtle,ADJ.

subversive ADJ. / 颠覆性的；破坏性的 /tending to overthrow; destructive. At first glance, the notion that styrofoam

cups may actually be more ecologically sound than paper cups strikes most environmentalists as

subversive.

succinct ADJ. /简洁的；紧身的/brief; terse; compact. Don't bore your audi ence with excess verbiage: be succinct.

succor V. / 救援；援助 /aid; assist; comfort. If you believe that con man has come here to succor you in your

hour of need, you're an even bigger sucker than I thought. also N.

succulent ADJ. /多汁的/juicy; full of richness. To some people, Florida citrus fruits are more succulent than those

from California. also N.

succumb V. /屈服；屈从；死/yield; give in; die. I succumb to temptation whenever I see chocolate.

suffragist N. / 大参政；大女参政扩权扩妇权/advocate of voting rights (for women). In recognition of her efforts to win

the vote for women, Congress authorized coining a silver dollar honoring the suffragistSusan B.

Anthony

sully V. / 弄脏；玷污 /tarnish; soil. He felt that it was beneath his dignity to sully his hands in such menial

labor.

sultry ADJ. /闷热的，酷热的；放荡的；粗暴的/sweltering. He could not adjust himself to the sultryclimate of the

tropics.

summation N. /结算；累计；总结 /act of finding the total; summary. In his summation, the lawyer emphasized the

testimony given by the two witnesses.

summit N. /巅峰；顶点/utmost height or pinnacle; highest point (of a mountain, etc.) The summit of the amateur

mountain climber's aspirations was someday to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

sumptuous ADJ. /奢侈的；华丽的/lavish; rich. I cannot recall when I have had such a sumptuous Thanksgiving feast.

sunder V. /分裂/separate; part. Northern and southern Ireland are politically and religiously sundered.

superciliousADJ. / 自大的；傲慢的 /arrogant; condescending; patronizing. The supercilious headwaiter sneered at

customers whom he thought did not fit in at a restaurant catering to an ultrafashionable crowd.

superficial ADJ. /肤浅的；浅薄的/trivial; shallow. Since your report gave only a superficial analysis of the problem, I

cannot give you more than a passing grade.

superfluous ADJ. /不必要的；多余的 /unnecessary; excessive; overabundant. Betsy lacked the heart to tell June that

the wedding present she brought was superfluous; she and Bob had already received five toasters.

Please try not to include so many superfluous details in your report; just give me the facts. superfluity,

superimpose V. /添加/place over something else. Your attempt to superimpose another agency in this field

will merely increase the bureaucratic nature of our government.

supersede V. /取代；推迟/cause to be set aside; replace; make obsolete. The new bulk mailing postal regulation

supersedes the old one. If you continue to follow the old regulation, your bulk mailing will be returned

to you.

supplant V. /篡位；取代/replace; usurp. Bolingbroke, later to be known as King Henry IV, fought to supplant his

cousin, Richard III, as King of England.

supple ADJ. /柔的；从的；柔的顺顺韧 /flexible; pliant. Years of yoga exercises made Grace's body supple.

supplicate V. /恳求；祈祷/petition humbly; pray to grant a favor. We supplicate Your Majesty to grant him amnesty.

supposition N. / 假定；假想 /hypothesis; the act of supposing. I based my decision to confide in him on the

supposition that he would be discreet. suppose,V.

suppress V. /镇压；抑制；查禁/stifle; overwhelm; subdue; inhibit. Too polite to laugh in anyone's face, Roy did his

best to suppress his amusement at Ed's inane remark.

surfeit V. /饮食过度；恶心 /satiate; stuff; indulge to excess in anything. Every Thanksgiving we are surfeited

with an overabundance of holiday treats. also N.

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surly ADJ. /粗暴的；阴沉的；板着脸的；无礼的/rude; cross. Because of his surly attitude, many people avoided

his company.

surmise V. /猜测/guess. I surmise that he will be late for this meeting. also N.

surmount V. / 克服 /overcome. Could Helen Keller, blind and deaf since childhood, surmount her physical

disabilities and lead a productive life?

surpass V. /超越/exceed. Her SAT I scores surpassed our expectations.

surreptitious ADJ. /暗中的；秘密的/secret; furtive; sneaky; hidden. Hoping to discover where his mom had

hidden the Christmas presents, Timmy took a surreptitious peek into the master bedroom closet.

surrogate N. /代理；代替/substitute. For a fatherless child, a male teacher may become a father surrogate.

surveillance N. /监视；监督/watching; guarding. The FBI kept the house under constant surveillance in the hope of

capturing all the criminals at one time,

susceptible ADJ. /易受影的；易感动的；易患病的响 /impressionable; easily influenced; having little resistance, as to a

disease; receptive to. Said the patent medicine man to his very susceptible customer: "Buy this new

miracle drug, and you will no longer be susceptible to the common cold."

sustain V. /支；延撑续/experience; support; nourish. He sustained such a severe injury that the doctors feared

he would be unable to work to sustain his growing family.

sustenance N. /食物；生计/means of support, food, nourishment. In the tropics, the natives find sustenance easy to

obtain, due to all the fruit trees.

suture N. / 合；合缝缝处 /stitches sewn to hold the cut edges of a wound or incision; material used in sewing.

We will remove the sutures as soon as the wound heals. alsoV.

swagger V. /大摇大摆；自大/behave arrogantly or pompously; strut or walk proudly. The conquering hero didn't

simply stride down the street; he swaggered. also N.

swarm N. /一大群；，占，蜂挤满满拥 /dense moving crowd; large group of honeybees. At the height of the city

hall scandals, a constant swarm of reporters followed the mayor everywhere. alsoV.

swarthy ADJ. /暗的；有的雾 /dark; dusky. Despite the stereotypes, not all Italians are swarthy, many are fair and

blond.

swathe V. / 包装物；绷带 /wrap around; bandage. When I visited him in the hospital, I found him swathed in

bandages.

swelter V. /闷热；中暑/be oppressed by heat. I am going to buy an air conditioning unit for my apartment as I

do not intend to swelter through another hot and humid summer.

swerve V. /转向；突然转向/deviate; turn aside sharply. The car swerved wildly as the driver struggled to regain

control of the wheel.

swill V. / 痛饮 /drink greedily. Singing "Yo, ho, ho, and a bottle of rum," Long John Silver and his fellow

pirates swilled their grog.

swindler N. /骗子/cheat. She was gullible and trusting, an easy victim for the first swindler who came along.

sybarite N. / 情逸之徒纵乐 /lover of luxury. Rich people are not always sybarites; some of them have little taste for

a life of luxury.

sycophant N. /马屁精；阿谀奉承者/servile flatterer; bootlicker; yes man. Fed up with the toadies and flunkies who

made up his entourage, the star cried, "Get out, all of you! I'm sick of sycophants!" sycophancy, N.

symbiosis N. /共生现象/interdependent relationship (between groups, species), often mutually beneficial. Both the

crocodile bird and the crocodile derive benefit from their symbiosis: pecking away at food particles

embedded in the crocodile's teeth, the bird receives nourishment; the crocodile, meanwhile, receives

proper dental hygiene. symbiotic,ADJ.

symmetry N. / 对称；匀称 /arrangement of parts so that balance is obtained; congruity. Something lopsided by

definition lacks symmetry.

synoptic ADJ. / 概要的 /providing a general overview; summary. The professor turned to the latest issue of

Dissertation Abstracts for a synoptic account of what was new in the field. synopSiS, N.

synthesis N. / 合成 /combining parts into a whole. Now that we have succeeded in isolating this drug, our next

problem is to plan its synthesis in the laboratory. synthesize,V.

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table V. /搁置/set aside a resolution or proposal for future consideration. Because we seem unable to agree

on this issue at the moment, let us table the motion for now and come back to it at a later date.

tacit ADJ. / 默许的；会意的 /understood; not put into words. We have a tacit agreement based on only a

handshake.

taciturn ADJ. /沉默寡言的 /habitually silent; talking little. The stereotypical cowboy is a taciturn soul, answering

lengthy questions with a "Yep" or "Nope."

tactile ADJ. / 触觉的 /pertaining to the organs or sense of touch. His callused hands had lost their tactile

sensitivity.

taint V. /污染，感染；污点 /contaminate; cause to lose purity; modify with a trace of something bad. One

speck of dirt on your utensils may contain enough germs to taint an entire batch of preserves.

talisman N. / 身符；避邪物护 /charm to bring good luck and avert misfortune. Joe believed the carved pendant he

found in Vietnam served him as a talisman and brought him safely through the war.

talon N. /鸟爪/claw of bird. The falconer wore a leather gauntlet to avoid being clawed by the hawk's talons.

tangential ADJ. /外围的；切线的/peripheral; only slightly connected; digressing. Despite Clark's attempts to distract

her with tangential remarks, Lois kept on coming back to her main question: why couldn't he come

out to dinner with Superman and her?

tangible ADJ. /可触摸的；真实的/able to be touched; real; palpable. Although Tom did not own a house, he had

several tangible assets-a car, a television, a PC-that he could sell if he needed cash.

tanner N. / 皮革工人； 6 便士 /person who turns animal hides into leather. Using a solution of tanbark, the

tannertreated the cowhide, transforming it into supple leather.

tantalize V. /逗弄；使其干着急/tease; torture with disappointment. Tom loved to tantalize his younger brother with

candy; he knew the boy was forbidden to have it.

tantamount ADJ. / 同等的 /equivalent in effect or value. Though Rudy claimed his wife was off visiting friends, his

shriek of horror when she walked into the room was tantamount to a confession that he believed she

was dead.

Word List 46 t a n t r u m - t o n i c

tantrum N. /发脾气；暴怒/fit of petulance; caprice. The child learned that he could have almost anything if he

had a tantrum.

tarantula N. /毒蜘蛛/venomous spider. We need an antitoxin to counteract the bite of the tarantula.

tarry V. /等候；逗留；混日子/delay; dawdle. We can't tarry if we want to get to the airport on time.

taut ADJ. /紧张的；整洁的/tight; ready. The captain maintained that he ran a taut ship.

tautological ADJ. /同反复的义 /needlessly repetitious. In the sentence "It was visible to the eye, " the phrase "to the

eye" is tautological.

tautology N. /同反复义 /unnecessary repetition. "Joyful happiness" is an illustration of tautology.

tawdry ADJ. /俗丽的；便宜且华而不实/cheap and gaudy. He won a few tawdry trinkets in Coney Island.

tedious ADJ. /令人倦的厌 /boring; tiring. The repetitious nature of work on the assembly line made Martin's job

very tedious. tedium, N.

temerity N. /鲁莽的/boldness; rashness. Do you have the temerity to argue with me?

temper V. /中和；回火；；调剂锻炼/moderate; tone down or restrain; toughen (steel). Not even her supervisor's

grumpiness could temper Nancy's enthusiasm for her new job.

temperament N. /气质；性情/characteristic frame of mind; disposition; emotional excess. Although the twins

look alike, they differ markedly i n temperament: Todd is calm, but Rod is excitable.

temperate ADJ. / 节制的；自我控制的 /restrained; self-controlled; moderate in respect to temperature. Try to be

temperate in your eating this holiday season; if you control your appetite, you won't gain too much

weight.

tempestuous ADJ. / 有暴风雨的；暴乱的 /stormy; impassioned; violent. Racketthrowing tennis star John

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McEnroe was famed for his displays of tempestuous temperament.

tempo N. /节奏，乐曲的速度/speed of music. I find the band's tempo too slow for such a lively dance.

temporal ADJ. / 暂时的 /not lasting forever; limited by time; secular. At onetime in our history, temporal rulers

assumed that they had been given their thrones by divine right.

temporize V. /拖延时间；见风使舵/avoid commiting oneself; gain time. I cannot permit you to temporize any longer;

I must have a definite answer today.

tenacious ADJ. /顽强的/holding fast. I had to struggle to break his tenacious hold on my arm.

tenacity N. /坚韧/firmness; persistence. Jean Valjean could not believe the tenacity of Inspector Javert. Here all

Valjean had done was to steal a loaf of bread, and the inspector had pursued him doggedly for twenty

years!

tendentious ADJ. /偏见的；有目标的；预计好的 /having an aim; biased; designed to further a cause. The editorials in

this periodical are tendentious rather than truth-seeking.

tender V. /提供；充扩 /offer; extend. Although no formal charges had been made against him, in the wake of

the recent scandal the mayor felt he should tender his resignation.

tenet N. /原；信条则 /doctrine; dogma. The agnostic did not accept the tenets of their faith.

tensile ADJ. /可伸展的；可拉长的 /capable of being stretched. Mountain climbers must know the tensile strength

of their ropes. tentative ADJ. hesitant; not fully worked out or developed; experimental; not definite

or positive. Unsure of his welcome at the Christmas party, Scrooge took a tentative step into his

nephew's drawing room.

tenuous ADJ. /纤细的/thin; rare; slim. The allegiance of our allies is held by rather tenuous ties.

tenure N. /任期；（土地的）使用年限 /holding of an office; time during which such an office is held. He has

permanent tenure in this position and cannot be fired.

tepid ADJ. /冷淡的；微的热 /lukewarm. During the summer, I like to take a tepid bath, not a hot one.

termination N. /结束/end. Though the time for termination of the project was near, we still had a lot of work to finish

before we shut up shop. terminate,V.

terminology N. /术语学/terms used in a science or art. The special terminology developed by some authorities in

the field has done more to confuse the layman than to enlighten him. terminus N. last stop of

railroad. After we reached the railroad terminus, we continued our journey into the wilderness on

saddle horses.

terrestrial ADJ. /地的；地球的/earthly (as opposed to celestial); pertaining to the land. In many science fiction films,

alien invaders from outer space plan to destroy all terrestrial life.

terse ADJ. /简洁；扼要的 /concise; abrupt; pithy. There is a fine line between speech that is terse and to the

point and speech that is too abrupt.

testy ADJ. /易怒的/irritable; short-tempered. My advice is to avoid discussing this problem with him today as

he is rather testy and may shout at you.

tether V. /用子；范绳绑围/tie with a rope. Before we went to sleep, we tethered the horses to prevent their

wandering off during the night.

thematic ADJ. /主的；主相关的题题 /relating to a unifying motif or idea. Those who think of Moby Dick as a simple

adventure story about whaling miss its underlying thematic import.

theocracy N. / 神政治权 /government run by religious leaders. Though some Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower

favored the establishment of a theocracy in New England, many of their fellow voyagers preferred a

nonreligious form of government.

theoretical ADJ. /理论的/not practical or applied; hypothetical. Bob was better at applied engineering and computer

programming than he was at theoretical physics and math. While I can still think of some theoretical

objections to your plan, you've convinced me of its basic soundness.

therapeutic ADJ. / 治的；治学的疗疗 /curative. Now better known for its racetrack, Saratoga Springs first gained

attention for the therapeutic qualities of its famous "healing waters." therapy, N.

thermal ADJ. / 热的；热学的 /pertaining to heat. The natives discovered that the hot springs made excellent

thermal baths and began to develop their community as a health resort. also N.

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thespian ADJ. /戏剧的/pertaining to drama. Her success in the school play convinced her she was destined for a

thespian career. also N.

threadbare ADJ. / 褴褛的；破烂不堪的 /worn through till the threads show; shabby and poor. The poor adjunct

professor hid the threadbare spots on his jacket by sewing leather patches on his sleeves.

thrifty ADJ. / 节省的；抠包的 /careful about money; economical. A thrifty shopper compares prices before

making major purchases.

thrive V. / 繁荣；昌盛 /prosper; flourish. Despite the impact of the recession on the restaurant trade, Philip's

cafe thrived.

throes N. / 剧痛 /violent anguish. The throes of despair can be as devastating as the spasms accompanying

physical pain.

throng N. /聚集/crowd. Throngs of shoppers jammed the aisles. alsoV.

thwart V. /阻碍；挫败/baffle; frustrate. He felt that everyone was trying to thwart his plans and prevent his

success.

tightwad N. /吝啬鬼/excessively frugal person; miser. Jill called Jack a tightwad because he never picked up the

check.

tiller N. /舵柄；农夫/handle used to move boat's rudder (to steer). Fearing the wind might shift suddenly and

capsize the skiff, Tom kept one hand on the tiller at all times.

timidity N. /胆怯/lack of self-confidence or courage. If you are to succeed as a salesman, you must first lose

your timidity and fear of failure.

timorous ADJ. /害怕的/fearful; demonstrating fear. His timorous manner betrayed the fear he felt at the moment.

tirade N. / 长篇慷慨激昂的演说 /extended scolding; denunciation; harangue. Every time the boss holds a

meeting, he goes into a lengthy tirade, scolding us for everything from tardiness to padding our

expenses.

titanic ADJ. / 巨大的 /gigantic. Titanic waves beat against the majestic S.S. Titanic, driving it against the

concealed iceberg.

title N. /名字；等级；拥有权 /right or claim to possession; mark of rank; name (of a book, film, etc.). Though

the penniless Duke of Ragwort no longer held title to the family estate, he still retained his title as

head of one of England's oldest families.

titter N. /神的笑经质 /nervous laugh. Her aunt's constant titter nearly drove her mad. alsoV.

titular ADJ. / 有名无实的 /nominal holding of title without obligations. Although he was the titular head of the

company, the real decisions were made by his general manager.

toady N. /谄媚的人；马屁精/servile flatterer; yes man. Never tell the boss anything he doesn't wish to hear: he

doesn't want an independent adviser, he just wants a toady. alsoV.

tome N. /册；卷/large volume. He spent much time in the libraries poring over ancient tomes.

tonic ADJ. /精神充沛的 /invigorating; refreshing. The tart homemade ginger ale had a tonic effect on Kit: she

perked right up. also N.

Word List 47 topography-ubiquitous

topography N. / 拓学扑 /physical features of a region. Before the generals gave the order to attack, they

ordered a complete study of the topography of the region.

torpor N. /迟钝；麻木；不活泼 /lethargy; sluggishness; dormancy. Throughout the winter, nothing aroused the

bear from his torpor: he would not emerge from hibernation until spring. torpid,ADJ.

torrent N. /急流；洪水/rushing stream; flood. Day after day of heavy rain saturated the hillside until the water

ran downhill in torrents. torrential,ADJ.

torrid ADJ. /有激情的；热带的 /passionate; hot or scorching. Harlequin Romances publish torrid tales of love

affairs, some set in torrid climates.

torso N. /未完成的；残缺的/trunk of statue with head and limbs missing; human trunk. This torso, found in the

ruins of Pompeii, is now on exhibition in the museum in Naples.

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tortuous ADJ. /曲折的，蜿蜒的 /winding; full of curves. Because this road is so tortuous, it is unwise to go faster

than twenty miles an hour on it.

totter V. /摇摆；摇摇欲坠/move unsteadily; sway, as if about to fall. On unsteady feet, the drunk tottered down

the hill to the nearest bar.

touchstone N. /试金石；准绳；标准；尺度 /stone used to test the fineness of gold alloys; criterion. What touchstone

can be used to measure the character of a person?

touchy ADJ. /暴躁的；难以处理的；易上火的 /sensitive; irascible. Do not mention his bald spot; he's very touchy

about it.

tout V. /吹捧/publicize; praise excessively. I lost confidence in my broker after he touted some junk bonds to

me that turned out to be a bad investment.

toxic ADJ. /有毒的/poisonous. We must seek an antidote for whatever toxic substance he has eaten. toxicity,

tract N. /地域；小册子/region of land (often imprecisely described); pamphlet. The king granted William Penn

a tract of land in the New World. Penn then printed a tract in which he encouraged settlers to join his

colony.

tractable ADJ. / 驯良的；温顺的；易处理的 /docile; easily managed. Although Susan seemed a tractable young

woman, she had a stubborn streak of independence that occasionally led her to defy the powers-that-

be when she felt they were in the wrong.

traduce V. / 诽谤；中伤 /expose to slander. His opponents tried to traduce the candidate's reputation by

spreading rumors about his past.

trajectory N. /弹道；轨迹；抛物线/path taken by a projectile. The police tried to locate the spot from which the

assassin had fired the fatal shot by tracing the trajectory of the bullet.

tranquillity N. / 平静；冷静 /calmness; peace. After the commotion and excitement of the city, I appreciate the

tranquillity of these fields and forests.

transcendent ADJ. /卓越的；非比寻常的/surpassing; exceeding ordinary limits; superior. For the amateur chef,

dining at the four-star restaurant was a transcendent experience: the meal surpassed his wildest

dreams.

transcribe V. /复制/copy. When you transcribe your notes, please send a copy to Mr. Smith and keep the original

for our files. transcription, N.

transgression N. /犯罪/violation of a law; sin. Forgive us our transgressions; we know not what we do.

transient ADJ. /暂时的/momentary; temporary; staying for a short time. Lexy's joy at finding the perfect Christmas

gift for Phil was transient, she still had to find presents for the cousins and Uncle Bob. Located near

the airport, this hotel caters to a largely transient trade. transience, N.

transition N. /过渡；转换；跃迁/going from one state of action to another. During the period of transition from oil

heat to gas heat, the furnace will have to be shut off.

transitory ADJ. /短时间的/impermanent; fleeting. Fame is transitory: today's rising star is all too soon tomorrow's

washed-up has-been. transitoriness, N.

translucent ADJ. /半透明的/partly transparent. We could not recognize the people in the next room because of the

translucent curtains that separated us.

transmute V. / 改变 /change; convert to something different. He was unable to transmute his dreams into

actualities.

transparent ADJ. /透明的；容易检测的，明晰的/easily detected; permitting light to pass through freely. John's pride in

his son is transparent; no one who sees the two of them together can miss it.

transport N. /运输；狂喜/strong emotion. Margo was a creature of extremes, at one moment in transports of joy

over a vivid sunset, at another moment in transports of grief over a dying bird. also V. (secondary

meaning)

trappings N. /服饰；装饰/outward decorations; ornaments. He loved the trappings of success: the limousines, the

stock options, the company jet.

traumatic ADJ. / 外伤的 /pertaining to an injury caused by violence. In his nightmares, he kept on recalling the

traumatic experience of being wounded in battle.

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travail N. / 辛苦劳作 /painful labor. How long do you think a man can endure such travail and degradation

without rebelling?

traverse V. /穿过/go through or across. When you traverse this field, be careful of the bull.

travesty N. / 滑稽化；滑稽模仿 /comical parody; treatment aimed at making something appear ridiculous. The

ridiculous decision the jury has reached is a travesty of justice.

treacly ADJ. /甜蜜的/sticky sweet; cloyingly sentimental. Irritatingly cheerful, always looking on the bright side,

Pollyanna speaks nothing but treacly sentimentalities. treacle, N.

treatise N. / 论文 /article treating a subject systematically and thoroughly. He is preparing a treatise on the

Elizabethan playwrights for his graduate degree.

trek N. /旅行/travel; journey. The tribe made their trek farther north that summer in search of game. alsoV.

tremor N. /振动的/trembling; slight quiver. She had a nervous tremor in her right hand.

tremulous ADJ. /震荡的/trembling; wavering. She was tremulous more from excitement than from fear.

trenchant ADJ. /锋利的/cutting; keen. I am afraid of his trenchant wit for it is so often sarcastic.

trepidation N. /惧怕/fear; nervous apprehension. As she entered the office of the dean of admissions, Sharon felt

some trepidation about how she would do in her interview.

trespass V. /过失；侵入/unlawfully enter the boundaries of some else's property. The wicked baron flogged any

poacher who trespassed on his private hunting grounds. also N.

tribute N. /贡品；殷勤；颂词；礼物/tax levied by a ruler; mark of respect. The colonists refused to pay tribute to a

foreign despot.

trifling ADJ. /不重要的/trivial; unimportant. Why bother going to see a doctor for such a trifling, everyday cold?

trigger V. /引起；触发；扳机/set off. John is touchy today; say one word wrong and you'll trigger an explosion.

trinket N. /小玩意儿；密谋 /knickknack; bauble. Whenever she traveled abroad, Ethel would pick up costume

jewelry and other trinkets as souvenirs.

trite ADJ. / 陈腐的 /hackneyed; commonplace. The trite and predictable situations in many television

programs turn off many viewers, who, in turn, turn off their sets.

trivial ADJ. /不重要的/unimportant; trifling. Too many magazines ignore newsworthy subjects and feature trivial

affairs. trivia, N.

trough N. / 槽；低谷 /container for feeding farm animals; lowest point (of a wave, business cycle, etc.) The

hungry pigs struggled to get at the fresh swill in the trough. The surfer rode her board, coasting along

in the trough between two waves.

truculence N. / 野蛮；粗鲁 /aggressiveness; ferocity. Tynan's reviews were noted for their caustic attacks and

general tone of truculence. truculent,ADJ.

truism N. /真实性/self-evident truth. Many a truism is summed up in a proverb; for example, "Marry in haste,

repent at leisure."

truncate V. /截去尖端/cut the top off. The top of a cone that has been truncated in a plane parallel to its base is

a circle.

tryst N. /约会；幽会/meeting. The lovers kept their tryst even though they realized their danger.

tumult N. /吵闹；混乱/commotion; riot; noise. She could not make herself heard over the tumult of the mob.

tundra N. / 苔原；冻土 /rolling, treeless plain in Siberia and arctic North America. Despite the cold, many

geologists are trying to discover valuable mineral deposits in the tundra.

turbid ADJ. / 浑浊的；搅动了沉淀物的 /muddy; having the sediment disturbed. The water was turbid after the

children had waded through it.

turbulence N. / 湍流；骚乱；动荡/state of violent agitation. Warned of approaching turbulence in the atmosphere,

the pilot told the passengers to fasten their seat belts.

turgid ADJ. / 肿胀的 /swollen; distended. The turgid river threatened to overflow the levees and flood the

countryside.

turmoil N. /骚动；混乱/great commotion and confusion. Lydia running off with a soldier! Mother fainting at the

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news! The Bennet household was in turmoil.

turncoat N. / 叛徒；叛逆者/traitor. The British considered Benedict Arnold a loyalist; the Americans considered

him a turncoat.

turpitude N. /奸恶；卑鄙/depravity. A visitor may be denied admittance to this country if she has been guilty of

moral turpitude.

tutelage N. /监护/guardianship; training. Under the tutelage of such masters of the instrument, she made rapid

progress as a virtuoso.

tycoon N. /大亨/wealthy leader. John D. Rockefeller was a prominent tycoon.

typhoon N. /台风/tropical hurricane or cyclone. If you liked Twister, you'll love Typhoon!

tyranny N. /暴政；专制/oppression; cruel government. Frederick Douglass fought against the tyranny of slavery

throughout his life.

tyro N. /新手/beginner; novice. For a mere tyro, you have produced some wonderfully expert results.

ubiquitous ADJ. / 无所不在的 /being everywhere; omnipresent. That Christmas "The Little Drummer Boy" seemed

ubiquitous; David heard the tune everywhere.

Word List 48 ulterior-vehement

ulterior ADJ. / 将来的；蔽的隐 /situated beyond; unstated. You must have an ulterior motive for your behavior,

since there is no obvious reason for it.

ultimate ADJ. / 的终极 /final; not susceptible to further analysis. Scientists are searching for ultimate truths.

unaccountable ADJ. / 无任的；无法解释的责 /inexplicable; unreasonable or mysterious. I have taken an

unaccountable dislike to my doctor: "I do not love thee, Doctor Fell. The reason why, I cannot tell."

unanimity N. /全体同意；全体一致/complete agreement. We were surprised by the unanimity with which members

of both parties accepted our proposals. unanimous,ADJ.

unassailable ADJ. /攻不破的/not subject to question; not open to attack. Penelope's virtue was unassailable;

while she waited for her husband to come back from the war, no other man had a chance.

unassumingADJ. /谦逊的/modest. He is so unassuming that some people fail to realize how great a man he really

is.

unbridled ADJ. /放肆的；肆虐的/violent. She had a sudden fit of unbridled rage.

uncanny ADJ. /离奇的/strange; mysterious. You have the uncanny knack of reading my innermost thoughts.

unconscionable ADJ. / 不合理的；不道德的；度的过 /unscrupulous; excessive. She found the loan shark's

demands unconscionable and impossible to meet.

uncouth ADJ. /笨拙的；粗俗的/outlandish; clumsy; boorish. Most biographers portray Lincoln as an uncouth and

ungainly young man.

Unctuous ADJ. / 油的；油质的；松软肥沃的 /oily; bland; insincerely suave. Uriah Heep disguised his nefarious

actions by unctuous protestations of his "humility."

underlying ADJ. /根本的；在下面的；潜在的 /fundamental; lying below. The underlying cause of the student riot was

not the strict curfew rule but the moldy cafeteria food. Miss Marple seems a sweet little old lady at

first, but there's an iron will underlying that soft and fluffy facade.

undermine V. /破坏/weaken; sap. The recent corruption scandals have undermined many people's faith in the city

government. The recent torrential rains have washed away much of the cliffside; the deluge threatens

to undermine the pillars supporting several houses at the edge of the cliff.

underscore V. /强调/emphasize. Addressing the jogging class, Kim underscored the importance to runners of good

nutrition.

undulating ADJ. / 波浪的 /moving with a wavelike motion. The Hilo Hula Festival was an undulating sea of grass

skirts.

unearth V. /出土；发掘/dig up. When they unearthed the city, the archeologists found many relics of an ancient

civilization.

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unequivocal ADJ. / 明白清楚的 /plain; obvious; unmistakable. My answer to your proposal is an unequivocal and

absolute "No."

unerringly ADJ. /正确无的误 /infallibly. My teacher unerringly pounced on the one typographical error in my essay.

unfathomable ADJ. /不可理解的；不能渗透的/incomprehensible; impenetrable. Unable to get to the bottom of

the mystery, Watson declared it was unfathomable.

unfetter V. /解放/liberate; free from chains. Chained to the wall for months on end, the hostage despaired that

he would ever be unfettered.

unfrock V. /解除神职/to strip a priest or minister of church authority. To disbar a lawyer, to unfrock a priest, to

suspend a doctor's license to practice-these are extreme steps that the authorities should take only

after careful consideration.

ungainly ADJ. / 糟糕的；笨拙的 /awkward; clumsy; unwieldy. "If you want to know whether Nick's an ungainly

dancer, check out my bruised feet," said Nora. Anyone who has ever tried to carry a bass fiddle

knows it's an ungainly instrument.

uniformity N. / 一致性；同样 /sameness; monotony. At Persons magazine, we strive for uniformity of style; as a

result, all our writers wind up sounding exactly alike.

unimpeachable ADJ. /无懈可击的/blameless and exemplary. Her conduct in office was unimpeachable and her

record is spotless.

uninhibited ADJ. /放不的；不受限制的荡羁 /unrepressed. The congregation was shocked by her uninhibited laughter

during the sermon.

unintimidating ADJ. / 无惧的 /unfrightening. Though Phil had expected to feel overawed when he met Steve

Young, he found the famous quarterback friendly and unintimidating.

unique ADJ. / 独一无二的 /without an equal; single in kind. You have the unique distinction of being the only

student whom I have had to fail in this course.

universal ADJ. /通用的 /characterizing or affecting all; present everywhere. At first, no one shared Christopher's

opinions; his theory that the world was round was met with universal disdain.

unkempt ADJ. / 蓬乱的；粗野的；不洁的 /disheveled; uncared for in appearance. Jeremy hated his neighbor's

unkempt lawn: he thought its neglected appearance had a detrimental effect on neighborhood

property values.

unmitigated ADJ. /未缓和的；绝对的/unrelieved or immoderate; absolute. After four days of unmitigated heat, I was

ready to collapse from heat prostration. The congresswoman's husband was an unmitigated jerk: not

only did he abandon her, he took her campaign funds, too!

unobtrusive ADJ. / 不显眼的；朴素的 /inconspicuous; not blatant. Reluctant to attract notice, the governess took a

chair in a far corner of the room and tried to be as unobtrusive as possible.

unpalatable ADJ. /厌恶的；不好吃的；味道糟糕的 /distasteful; disagreeable. "I refuse to swallow your conclusion," said

she, finding his logic unpalatable.

unprecedented ADJ. / 空前的 /novel; unparalleled. For a first novel, Margaret Mitchell's novel Gone with the

Wind was an unprecedented success.

unprepossessing ADJ. / 不吸引人的 /unattractive. During adolescence many attractive young people somehow

acquire the false notion that their appearance is unprepossessing.

unravel V. / 拆开；解决 /disentangle; solve. With equal ease Miss Marple unraveled tangled balls of yarn and

baffling murder mysteries.

unrequited ADJ. / 不答的，不回的报应 /not reciprocated. Suffering the pangs of unrequited love, Olivia rebukes

Cesario for his hardheartedness.

unruly ADJ. /不服从的；倔强的/disobedient; lawless. The only way to curb this unruly mob is to use tear gas.

unscathed ADJ. /没有受伤的/unharmed. They prayed he would come back from the war unscathed.

unseemly ADJ. /不体面的/unbecoming; indecent; in poor taste. When he put whoopie cushions on all the seats in

the funeral parlor, his conduct was most unseemly.

unsightly ADJ. / 难看的 /ugly. Although James was an experienced emergency room nurse, he occasionally

became queasy when faced with a particularly unsightly injury.

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unstinting ADJ. / 慷慨的；无保留的 /giving generously; not holding back. The dean praised the donor of the new

science building for her unstinting generosity.

untenable ADJ. /防不住的；防不胜防的；站不住的/indefensible; not able to be maintained. Wayne is so contrary that,

the more untenable a position is, the harder he'll try to defend it.

unwarranted ADJ. /莫名其妙的；没来由的；冤枉的/unjustified; groundless; undeserved. Your assumption that

I would accept your proposal is unwarranted, sir; I do not want to marry you at all. We could not

understand Martin's unwarranted rudeness to his mother's guests.

unwieldy ADJ. / 糟糕的；笨拙的 /awkward; cumbersome; unmanageable. The large carton was so unwieldy that

the movers had trouble getting it up the stairs.

unwitting ADJ. /不知情的/unintentional; not knowing. She was the unwitting tool of the swindlers.

upbraid V. / 责备 /severely scold; reprimand. Not only did Miss Minchin upbraid Ermengarde for her

disobedience, but she hung her up by her braids from a coat rack in the classroom. uproarious

ADJ. marked by commotion; extremely funny; very noisy. The uproarious comedy hit Ace

Ventura: Pet Detective starred Jim Carrey, whose comic mugging provoked gales of uproarious

laughter from audiences coast to coast.

upshot N. / 结果 /outcome. The upshot of the rematch was that the former champion proved that he still

possessed all the skills of his youth.

urbane ADJ. /文雅的；高雅的；彬彬有礼的 /suave; refined; elegant. The courtier was urbane and sophisticated.

urbanity, N.

usurp V. / 篡取 /seize another's power or rank. The revolution ended when the victorious rebel general

succeeded in his attempt to usurp the throne.

utopia N. / 乌托邦/ideal place, state, or society. Fed up with this imperfect universe, Don would have liked to

run off to Shangri-la or some other imaginary utopia. utopian, ADJ. vacillate V. waver;

fluctuate. Uncertain which suitor she ought to marry, the princess vacillated, saying now one, now the

other. The big boss likes his people to be decisive: when he asks you for your opinion, whatever you

do, don't vacillate. vacillation, N.

vacuous ADJ. / 空虚的；空的 /empty; inane. The vacuous remarks of the politician annoyed the audience, who

had hoped to hear more than empty platitudes.

vagabond N. / 流浪者 /wanderer; tramp. In summer, college students wander the roads of Europe like carefree

vagabonds. alsoADJ.

vagrant N. /无家可归的流浪者/a homeless wanderer. Because he was a stranger in town with no visible means

of support, Martin feared he would be jailed as a vagrant. vagrancy, N.

valedictory ADJ. / 告别的 /pertaining to farewell. I found the valedictory address too long; leave-taking should be

brief.

valid ADJ. /正当的；有效的 /logically convincing; sound; legally acceptable. You're going to have to come up

with a better argument if you want to convince me that your reasoning is valid.

validate V. /批准；确认/confirm; ratify. I will not publish my findings until I validate my results.

valor N. /英勇；勇猛/bravery. He received the Medal of Honor for his valor in battle.

vampire N. /吸血鬼/ghostly being that sucks the blood of the living. Children were afraid to go to sleep because

of the many legends of vampires roaming at night.

vanguard N. / 先；先驱锋 /forerunners; advance forces. We are the vanguard of a tremendous army that is

following us.

vantage N. /优势 /position giving an advantage. They fired upon the enemy from behind trees, walls and any

other point of vantage they could find.

vapid ADJ. /平淡单的；索然无味的；缺乏想象力的调 /dull and unimaginative; insipid and flavorless. "Bor-ing!" said

Jessica, as she suffered through yet another vapid lecture about Dead White Male Poets.

*vaporize V. / 蒸发 /turn into vapor (steam, gas, fog, etc.). "Zap!" went Super Mario's atomic ray gun as he

vaporized another deadly foe.

variegated ADJ. /杂色的/many-colored. Without her glasses, Gretchen saw the fields of tulips as a variegated blur.

veer V. /转向/change in direction. After what seemed an eternity, the wind veered to the east and the storm

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abated.

vehement ADJ. / 激烈的；热烈的/forceful; intensely emotional; with marked vigor. Alfred became so vehement in

describing what was wrong with the Internal Revenue Service that he began jumping up and down

and frothing at the mouth. vehemence, N.

Word List 49 velocity-vogue

velocity N. /速度/speed. The train went by at considerable velocity.

venal ADJ. /贪污的/capable of being bribed. The venal policeman cheerfully accepted the bribe offered him by

the speeding motorist whom he had stopped.

vendetta N. /深仇；世仇/blood feud. The rival mobs engaged in a bitter vendetta.

vendor N. /卖主/seller. The fruit vendor sold her wares from a stall on the sidewalk.

veneer N. /薄板；外表/thin layer; cover. Casual acquaintances were deceived by his veneer of sophistication

and failed to recognize his fundamental shallowness.

venerable ADJ. /庄严的；值得尊重的/deserving high respect. We do not mean to be disrespectful when we refuse to

follow the advice of our venerable leader.

venerate V. / 崇敬 /revere. In Tibet today, the common people still venerate their traditional spiritual leader, the

Dalai Lama.

venial ADJ. /可宽恕的/forgivable; trivial. When Jean Valjean stole a loaf of bread to feed his starving sister, he

committed a venial offense.

venom N. /毒液；恶毒/poison; hatred. Bitten by a rattlesnake on his ankle, the cowboy contortionist curled up

like a pretzel and sucked the venom out of the wound.

vent N. / 出口，出路 /a small opening; outlet. The wine did not flow because the air vent in the barrel was

clogged.

vent V. /表达；发泄/express; utter. The angry teacher vented his wrath on his class.

ventriloquist N. /口技表演者/someone who can make his or her voice seem to come from another person

or thing. This ventriloquist does an act in which she has a conversation with a wooden dummy.

venturesome ADJ. /冒险的/bold. A group of venturesome women were the first to scale Mt. Annapurna.

veracity N. /真实；准确性/truthfulness. Asserting his veracity, young George Washington proclaimed, "Father, I

cannot tell a lie!"

verbalize V. /描述/put into words. I know you don't like to talk about these things, but please try to verbalize your

feelings.

verbatim ADV. /逐字的/word for word. He repeated the message verbatim. alsoADJ.

verbiage N. /空；大话话/pompous array of words. After we had waded through all the verbiage, we discovered

that the writer had said very little.

verbose ADJ. /冗的长 /wordy. Someone mute can't talk; someone verbose can hardly stop talking.

verdant ADJ. / 翠绿的；生疏的；无经验的 /green; lush in vegetation. Monet's paintings of the verdant meadows

were symphonies in green.

verge N. / 边界 /border; edge. Madame Curie knew she was on the verge of discovering the secrets of

radioactive elements. alsoV.

verisimilitude N. / 逼真 /appearance of truth; likelihood. Critics praised her for the verisimilitude of her

performance as Lady Macbeth. She was completely believable.

verity N. /真实；真理；真实的陈述/quality of being true; lasting truth or principle. Did you question the verity of

Kato Kaelin's testimony about what he heard the night Nicole Brown Simpson was slain? To the

skeptic, everything was relative: there were no eternal verities in which one could believe.

vernacular N. /母；本国；本来的西语东 /living language; natural style. Cut out those old-fashioned thee's and thou's

and write in the vernacular. alsoADJ.

versatile ADJ. /万能的；通用的；多面手的 /having many talents; capable of working in many fields. She was a

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versatile athlete, earning varsity letters in basketball, hockey, and track.

vertex N. /顶点/summit. Let us drop a perpendicular line from the vertex of the triangle to the base.

vertigo N. /晕眩/severe dizziness. When you test potential airplane pilots for susceptibility to spells of vertigo,

be sure to hand out air-sickness bags.

verve N. /神韵；活力；情热 /enthusiasm; liveliness. She approached her studies with such verve that it was

impossible for her to do poorly.

vestige N. / 遗迹；痕迹；残留物 /trace; remains. We discovered vestiges of early Indian life in the cave.

vestigial,ADJ.

vex N. /激怒；惹恼/annoy; distress. Please try not to vex your mother; she is doing the best she can.

viable ADJ. /能养活的；可行的 /practical or workable; capable of maintaining life. That idea won't work. Let me

see whether I can come up with a viable alternative.

vicarious ADJ. /代理的；代理人的/acting as a substitute; done by a deputy. Many people get a vicarious thrill at the

movies by imagining they are the characters on the screen.

vicissitude N. /转运/change of fortune. Humbled by life's vicissitudes, the last emperor of China worked as a lowly

gardener in the palace over which he had once ruled.

vie V. /竞争/contend; compete. Politicians vie with one another, competing for donations and votes.

vigilance N. /警惕/watchfulness. Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty.

vignette N. /小插图/picture; short literary sketch. The New Yorker published her latest vignette.

vigor N. /活力 /active strength. Although he was over seventy years old, Jack had the vigor of a man in his

prime. vigorOUS,ADJ.

vilify V. / 诽谤；辱骂 /slander. Waging a highly negative campaign, the candidate attempted to vilify his

opponent's reputation. vilification, N.

vindicate V. / ；辩护维护/clear from blame; exonerate; justify or support. The lawyer's goal was to vindicate her

client and prove him innocent on all charges. The critics' extremely favorable reviews vindicate my

opinion that The Madness of King George is a brilliant movie.

vindictive ADJ. / 报复性的 /out for revenge; malicious. I think it's unworthy of Martha to be so vindictive; she

shouldn't stoop to such petty acts of revenge.

viper N. /蝰蛇/poisonous snake. The habitat of the horned viper, a particularly venomous snake, is in sandy

regions like the Sahara or the Sinai peninsula.

virile ADJ. / 男子的；男子气概的 /manly. I do not accept the premise that a man proves he's virile by being

belligerent.

virtual ADJ. /有效的；实质的；虚的/in essence; for practical purposes. She is a virtual financial wizard when it

comes to money matters.

virtue N. / 美德 /goodness, moral excellence; good quality. Virtue carried to extremes can turn into vice:

humility, for example, can degenerate into servility and spinelessness.

virtuoso N. / 艺术品鉴赏家 /highly skilled artist. The child prodigy Yehudi Menuhin grew into a virtuoso whose

violin performances thrilled millions. virtuosity, N.

virulent ADJ. /剧毒的/extremely poisonous; hostile; bitter. Laid up with a virulent case of measles, Vera blamed

her doctors because her recovery took so long. In fact, she became quite virulent on the subject of

the quality of modern medical care.

virus N. /病毒/disease communicator. The doctors are looking for a specific medicine to control this virus.

visceral ADJ. /内脏的/felt in one's inner organs. She disliked the visceral sensations she had whenever she rode

the roller coaster.

viscid ADJ. /粘合的/adhesive; gluey. The trunk of the maple tree was viscid with sap.

viscous ADJ. /粘的/sticky; gluey. Melted tar is a viscous substance. Viscosity, N.

vise N. /老虎钳/tool for holding work in place. Before filing its edges, the locksmith took the blank key and

fixed it firmly between the jaws of a vise.

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visionary ADJ. / 幻想的 /produced by imagination; fanciful; mystical. She was given to visionary schemes that

never materialized. also N.

vital ADJ. /重要的；生命的；生机的 /vibrant and lively; critical; living, breathing. The vital, highly energetic

first aid instructor stressed that it was vital in examining accident victims to note their vital

signs.

vitriolic ADJ. /腐蚀的；硫酸的；讽刺的/corrosive; sarcastic. Such vitriolic criticism is uncalled for.

vituperative ADJ. /责骂的/abusive; scolding. He became more vituperative as he realized that we were not going to

grant him his wish.

vivacious ADJ. /生动的/animated; lively. She had always been vivacious and sparkling.

vociferous ADJ. /喊叫的；吵闹的 /clamorous; noisy. The crowd grew vociferous in its anger and threatened to take

the law into its own hands.

vogue N. /时尚/popular fashion. Jeans became the vogue on many college campuses.

Word List 50 volatile-zephyr

volatile ADJ. /挥发的；飞行的；可变的；爆炸的 /changeable; explosive; evaporating rapidly. The political climate

today is extremely volatile: No one can predict what the electorate will do next. Maria Callas's temper

was extremely volatile: The only thing you could predict was that she was sure to blow up. Acetone is

an extremely volatile liquid: It evaporates instantly.

volition N. /意志/act of making a conscious choice. She selected this dress of her own volition.

voluble ADJ. / 口齿伶俐的；爱说话的 /fluent; glib; talkative. The excessively voluble speaker suffers from

logorrhea: he runs off at the mouth a lot!

voluminous ADJ. /庞大的/bulky; large. A caftan is a voluminous garment; most people wearing one look as if they're

draped in a small tent.

voluptuous ADJ. /令人足的满 /gratifying the senses. The nobility during the Renaissance led voluptuous lives.

voracious ADJ. /贪婪的；狼吞虎咽的/ravenous. The wolf is a voracious animal, its hunger never satisfied.

vortex N. /漩涡；漩涡中心；（争斗、讨论的）中心 /whirlwind; whirlpool; center of turbulence; predicament into

which one is inexorably plunged. Sucked into the vortex of the tornado, Dorothy and Toto were car-

ried from Kansas to Oz.

vouchsafe V. /允；予许赐 /grant; choose to give in reply; permit. Occasionally the rock star would drift out onto the

balcony and vouchsafe the crowd below a glimpse of her celebrated features. The professor

vouchsafed not a word to the students' questions about what would be covered on the test.

voyeur N. /偷窥者/Peeping Tom. Nancy called her brother a voyeur when she caught him aiming his binoculars

at an upstairs window of the house of the newlyweds next door.

vulnerable ADJ. /易受攻击的/susceptible to wounds. His opponents could not harm Achilles, who was vulnerable only

in his heel.

waffle V. / 聊；胡扯闲 /speak equivocally about an issue. When asked directly about the governor's involvement in

the savings and loan scandal, the press secretary waffled, talking all around the issue.

waft V. /飘荡；信号/moved gently by wind or waves. Daydreaming, he gazed at the leaves that wafted past his

window.

waggish ADJ. / 滑稽的；爱开玩笑的 /mischievous; humorous; tricky. He was a prankster who, unfortunately, often

overlooked the damage he could cause with his waggish tricks. wag, N.

waif N. /流浪儿童；流浪者 /homeless child or animal. Although he already had eight cats, he could not resist

adopting yet another feline waif.

waive V. /暂时放弃；屈从/give up temporarily; yield. I will waive my rights in this matter in order to expedite our

reaching a proper decision.

wake N. / 尾迹；痕迹 /trail of ship or other object through water; path of something that has gone before. The

wake of the swan gliding through the water glistened in the moonlight. Reporters and photographers

converged on South Carolina in the wake of the hurricane that devastated much of the eastern

seaboard.

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wallow V. /打滚；沉湎；堕落/roll in; indulge in; become helpless. The hippopotamus loves to wallow in the mud.

wan ADJ. / 白的/having a pale or sickly color; pallid. Suckling asked, "Why so pale and wan, fond lover?"

wane V. /减少；变弱/decrease in size or strength; draw gradually to an end. When lit, does a wax candle wane?

wanton ADJ. /荒唐的；挥霍的；放荡的；不受限制的 /unrestrained; willfully malicious; unchaste. Pointing to the stack

of bills, Sheldon criticized Sarah for her wanton expenditures. In response, Sarah accused Sheldon of

making an unfounded, wanton attack.

warble V. /颤声轻唱；鸟鸣/sing; babble. Every morning the birds warbled outside her window. also N.

warrant V. /授；明；批准权证 /justify; authorize. Before the judge issues the injunction, you must convince her this

action is warranted.

warranty N. / 担保；保证 /guarantee; assurance by seller. The purchaser of this automobile is protected by the

manufacturer's warranty that the company will replace any defective part for five years or 50,000 miles.

wary ADJ. /机警的；小心的/very cautious. The spies grew wary as they approached the sentry.

wastrel N. / 废物；饭桶；放荡的人 /profligate. His neighbors denounced him as a wastrelwho had dissipated his

inheritance.

watershed N. /分水岭/crucial dividing point. The invention of the personal computer proved a historic watershed, for

it opened the way to today's Information Age.

wax V. /增长/increase; grow. With proper handling, his fortunes waxed and he became rich.

waylay V. /埋伏；伏击；劫抢 /ambush; lie in wait. They agreed to waylay their victim as he passed through the dark

alley going home.

wean V. /断奶；弃丢 /accustom a baby to not nurse; give up a cherished activity. He decided he would wean

himself away from eating junk food and stick to fruits and vegetables.

weather V. /侵蚀；风化 /endure the effects of weather or other forces. He weathered the changes in his personal

life with difficulty, as he had no one in whom to confide.

welter N. / 翻；扎；乱；乱滚挣骚搅 /turmoil; bewildering jumble. The existing welter of overlapping federal and

state programs cries out for immediate reform.

wheedle V. /哄骗；诱骗/cajole; coax; deceive by flattery. She knows she can wheedle almost anything she wants

from her father.

whelp N. /幼兽/young wolf, dog, tiger, etc. This collie whelp won't do for breeding, but he'd make a fine pet.

whet V. /锐化；刺激/sharpen; stimulate. The odors from the kitchen are whetting my appetite; I will be ravenous

by the time the meal is served.

whiff N. / 一吹；一喷 /puff or gust (of air, scent, etc.); hint. The slightest whiff of Old Spice cologne brought

memories of George to her mind.

whimsical ADJ. / 无常的；古怪的 /capricious; fanciful. In Mrs. Doubtfire, the hero is a playful, whimsical man who

takes a notion to dress up as a woman so that he can look after his children, who are in the custody of

his ex-wife. whimsy, N.

whinny V. /马嘶/neigh like a horse. When he laughed through his nose, it sounded as if he whinnied.

whittle V. /切；削；害损 /pare; cut off bits. As a present for Aunt Polly, Tom whittled some clothespins out of a

chunk of wood.

willful ADJ. /顽固的；故意的/intentional; headstrong. Donald had planned to kill his wife for months; clearly, her

death was a case of deliberate, willful murder, not a crime of passion committed by a hasty, willful youth

unable to foresee the consequences of his deeds.

wily ADJ. /狡猾的/cunning; artful. She is as wily as a fox in avoiding trouble.

wince V. /退缩/shrink back; flinch. The screech of the chalk on the blackboard made her wince.

windfall N. /横财/unexpected lucky event. This huge tax refund is quite a windfall.

winnow V. /扬谷；分出好坏 /sift; separate good parts from bad. This test will winnow out the students who study

from those who don't bother.

winsome ADJ. / 迷人的 /agreeable; gracious; engaging. By her winsome manner, she made herself liked by

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everyone who met her.

wispy ADJ. /纤细的；脆弱的 /thin; slight; barely discernible. Worried about preserving his few wispy tufts of hair,

Walter carefully massaged his scalp and applied hair restorer every night.

wistful ADJ. /渴望的/vaguely longing; sadly thoughtful. With a last wistful glance at the happy couples dancing in

the hall, Sue headed back to her room to study for her exam.

withdrawn ADJ. / 内向的；孤僻的 /introverted; remote. Rebuffed by his colleagues, the initially outgoing young

researcher became increasingly withdrawn.

wither V. /凋；枯萎谢 /shrivel; decay. Cut flowers are beautiful for a day, but all too soon they wither.

withhold V. /拒给；保留/refuse to give; hold back. The tenants decided to withhold a portion of the rent until the

landlord kept his promise to renovate the building.

withstand V. /抵抗；经受住/stand up against; successfully resist. If you can withstand all the peer pressure in high

school to cut classes and goof off, you should survive college just fine.

witless ADJ. /无知的；率的轻 /foolish; idiotic. If Beavis is a half-wit, then Butthead is totally witless.

witticism N. / 俏皮话 /witty saying; wisecrack. I don't mean any criticism, but that last witticism totally hurt my

feelings.

wizardry N. /巫术，魔术/sorcery; magic. Merlin the Magician amazed the knights with his wizardry.

woe N. /悲哀的 /deep, inconsolable grief; affliction; suffering. Pale and wan with grief, Wanda was bowed

down beneath the burden of her woes.

worldly ADJ. /世俗的/engrossed in matters of this earth; not spiritual. You must leave your worldly goods behind

you when you go to meet your Maker.

wrath N. /恼火；愤怒/anger; fury. She turned to him, full of wrath, and said, "What makes you think I'll accept

lower pay for this job than you get?"

wrench V. / 扭曲；扭伤；曲解；折磨；拉 /pull; strain; twist. She wrenched free of her attacker and landed a

powerful kick to his kneecap.

writhe V. /翻腾/twist in coils; contort in pain. In Dances with Snakes, the snake dancer wriggled sinuously as

her boa constrictor writhed around her torso.

wry ADJ. /歪曲的；曲的扭 /twisted; with a humorous twist. We enjoy Dorothy Parker's verse for its wrywit.

xenophobia N. /惧外的 /fear or hatred of foreigners. When the refugee arrived in America, he was unprepared for

the xenophobia he found there.

yen N. /渴望；瘾/longing; urge. She had a yen to get away and live on her own for a while.

yield V. /屈服；放弃/give in; surrender. The wounded knight refused to yield to his foe.

yield N. /产出；（投资的）回报 /amount produced; crop; income on investment. An experienced farmer can

estimate the annual yield of his acres with surprising accuracy. alsoV.

yoke V. / 结合；连接 /join together, unite. I don't wish to be yoked to him in marriage, as if we were cattle

pulling a plow. also N.

yore N. /往昔/time past. He dreamed of the elegant homes of yore, but gave no thought to their inelegant

plumbing.

zany ADJ. /滑稽的；狂的疯 /crazy; comic. I can watch the Marx brothers' zany antics for hours.

zeal N. / 热心；热诚 /eager enthusiasm. Katya's zeal was contagious; soon all her fellow students were

busily making posters, inspired by her ardent enthusiasm for the cause. zealous,ADJ.

zealot N. /狂热者/fanatic; person who shows excessive zeal. Though Glenn was devout, he was no zealot,

he never tried to force his beliefs on his friends.

zenith N. /顶点/point directly overhead in the sky; summit. When the sun was at its zenith, the glare was not

as strong as at sunrise and sunset.

zephyr N. /和；徐风风/gentle breeze; west wind. When these zephyrs blow, it is good to be in an open boat

under a full sail.

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Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

Word list without explanation:

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Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

abase

abash

abate

abbreviate

abdicate

abduction

aberrant

abet

abeyance

abhor

abject

abjure

ablution

abnegation

abolish

abominable

aboriginal

abortive

abrade

abrasive

abridge

abrogate

abscond

absolute

absolve

absorb

abstain

abstemious

abstinence

abstract

abstruse

abundant

abusive

abut

abysmal

abyss

academic

accede

accelerate

accentuate

accessible

accessory

acclaim

acclimate

acclivity

accolade

accommodate

accomplice

accord

accost

accoutre

accretion

accrue

acerbity

acetic

acidulous

acknowledge

acme

acoustics

acquiesce

acquire

acquittal

acrid

acrimonious

acrophobia

actuarial

actuate

acuity

acumen

acute

adage

adamant

adapt

addendum

addiction

addle

address

adept

adhere

adherent

adjacent

adjunct

admonish

admonition

adorn

adroit

adulation

adulterate

advent

adventitious

adversary

adverse

adversity

advocacy

advocate

aerie

aesthetic

affable

affected

affidavit

affiliation

affinity

affirmation

affix

affliction

affluence

affront

aftermath

agenda

agent

agglomeration

aggrandize

aggregate

aggressor

aghast

agility

agitate

agnostic

agrarian

alacrity

alchemy

alcove

alias

alienate

alimentary

alimony

allay

allege

allegiance

allegory

alleviate

alliteration

allocate

alloy

allude

allure

allusion

aloft

aloof

altercation

altruistic

amalgamate

amass

ambidextrous

ambience

ambiguous

ambivalence

amble

ambulatory

ameliorate

amenable

amend

amenities

amiable

amicable

amiss

amity

amnesia

amnesty

amoral

amorous

amorphous

amphibian

amphitheater

ample

amplify

amputate

amulet

anachronistic

analgesic

analogous

analogy

anarchist

anarchy

anathema

ancestry

anchor

ancillary

anecdote

anemia

anesthetic

anguish

angular

animated

animosity

animus

annals

annex

annihilate

annotate

annuity

annul

anoint

anomalous

anomaly

anonymity

anonymous

antagonism

antecede

antecedents

antediluvian

anthem

anthology

anthropocentric

anthropoid

anthropologist

anthropomorphic

anticlimax

antidote

antipathy

antiquated

antiseptic

antithesis

apathy

ape

aperture

apex

aphasia

aphorism

apiary

aplomb

apocalyptic

apocryphal

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Barron’s SAT I Basic Word List

apogee

apolitical

apologist

apostate

apotheosis

appall

apparatus

apparition

appease

appellation

append

application

apposite

appraise

appreciate

apprehend

apprehension

apprenticeship

apprise

approbation

appropriate

apropos

aptitude

aquatic

aquiline

arable

arbiter

arbitrary

arbitrator

arboretum

arcade

arcane

archaeology

archaic

archetype

archipelago